T.T  BINARY 

theological  ^cniiniunu 


I'LTyCKTO.X.X.  J. 


j\o.   (Use, 

No.  Sluff.        Sec. 

« 

.Vo.  Boo/.\ 


The  John  M.  Krcb.s  Douatiun. 


967<0 


\ 


,  lIKitdiLe,, 


'-a  ,  c  -    ,t^ 


ORI&IML  THOUGHTS 


ON 


VimiOUS   PASSAGES   OF    SCRIPTURE; 


BEING 


THE    SUBSTANCE    OF    SERMONS 


PREACHED   BY    THE    LATE 


REV.   RICHARD    CECIL,    A.M 


NEVER    BEFORE    PUBLISHED. 


TAKEN    DOWN    BY   MRS.    HAWKES, 

AND   NOW    EDITED   BY 

CATHARINE    CECIL. 


"  Holding  forth  the  word  of  life."— Phil.  li.  16. 


NEW   YORK: 

ROBERT    CARTER    &    BROTHERS, 
No.    285    BROADWAY. 

1849. 


A     A\ 


<3, 


^^^C^yC' 


'7     ^J. 


Love  for  the  heavenly  truths  contained  in  the  following 
pages,  has  led  to  the  devotion  of  much  time,  and  to  perse- 
vering endeavor,  in  order  to-  recover  from  faint  pencil-notes 
(written  partly  in  obscure  short-hand,)  the  substance  of  ser- 
mons preached  by  my  late  revered  Father,  as  taken  down 
by  the  late  Mrs.  Hawkes,  whose  Memoirs  have  recently  come 
before  the  public.  To  those  Memoirs  some  Fragments  of 
this  nature  were  attached  as  an  Appendix.  From  the  same 
rich  mine  of  Mrs.  Hawkes'  papers,  many  more  sermons  of 
Mr.  Cecil's  have  been  derived,  which  contain  so  much  to  in- 
terest and  instruct,  that  it  appears  to  be  a  talent  committed 
to  my  trust ;  and  I  feel  that  I  should  not  act  as  a  'faithful 
steward,  if  I  did  not  offer,  for  the  benefit  of  others,  some  of 
those  precious  materials  left  by  my  late  beloved  godmother, 
and  originally  intended  only  for  my  own  use. 

The  date  of  the  year  in  which  each  sermon  was  preached, 
has  been  added  in  every  case  where  it  could  be  ascertained. 

This  volume  is  now  consigned  to  the  press,  in  the  humble 
hope  that  it  may  not  be  unaccompanied  by  the  Divine  bless- 
ing ;  nor  prove  unacceptable  to  the  Christian  pubHc. 

C.  Cecil. 

Mount  Fort  Lodge, 

BaRNSBURY    SaUARE,  ISLINGTON, 

July  20lh,  1848. 


OF 


1*1... 


^;X1QST0^ 


•T 11  CO'N  TENTS. 


the  school  of  adversity,       .... 
the  discipline  of  christ,      ..... 
submission  to  god,  ..... 

the  thorn  in  the  flesh,     ..... 
the  day  of  trouble,       ..... 
resource  in  trouble,  ..... 

songs  in  the  night,        ..... 
the  burden  of  dumah,         ..... 
Rachel's  pillar,      ...... 

THE    christian    CONTEMPLATING    DEATH, 

MORTALITY    SWALLOWED    UP    OF    LIFE, 

THE    lord's   DELIGHT   IN    HIS    PEOPLE, 

THE    BABLE    BUILDERS,  ..... 

MINISTRY    OF    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST,       .... 

CHRIST    THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD, 

THE    DESIRE    OF    ALL    NATIONS,  .... 

THE    WISE    MEN    OF    THE    EAST, 

CHARACTER    OF    SIMEON,  ..... 

THE    SONG   OF    ZACHARIAS,  .... 

THE    NATIVITY,  .  .  .  r  .  .  . 

the  presentation  of  christ  in  the  temple,  . 
the  purpose  of  god  in  the  incarnation  of  christ, 
the  temptation  of  christ,       .... 

Christ's  last  prayer  for  his  disciples, 

JESUS  washing  his  disciples'  feet, 

the  agony  in  the  garden,  .... 

the  grand  object  of  faith,  .... 

the  cross,   ........ 

victory  achieved  by  Christ's  death, 


Paob. 

7 
14 
20 
29 
36 
44 
48 
54 
69 

14: 

83 
90 
96 
107 
113 
122 
126 
130 
135 
141 
147 
156 
162 
172 
182 
190 
203 
208 
218 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


mary  at  the  sepulchre,      .         .         . 
christ  appearing  to  mary  magdalene, 
christ    appearing    to    his    disciples    after 

resurrection, 
communion  with  an  unseen  saviour, 
Christ's  triumphant  ascension, 
the  king  of  zion,        .         .         .         . 
christ  the  head  of  the  church,    . 

god's    message    TO    HEZEKIAH, 

THE    DEATH-BED    OF    BEN-HADAD, 

LIFE    THE    GOLDEN    OPPORTUNITY, 

PRAYER    FOR    DIVINE    GUIDANCE, 

CONVERSION    OF    ST.    PAUL, 

THE    CHRISTIAN    SENTINEL, 

THE    SAFE    COVERT,  .... 

SOLEMN    ADMONITION, 

RECTITUDE    OF    THE    DIVINE    ADMINISTRATION 

THE  penitent's  RESOLVE, 

ENCOURAGEMENT    TO  SEEK    AFTER    GOD,      . 

THE    STRAIT    GATE,        .... 

THE    DIVINE    COMFORTER   PROMISED, 

THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST,       . 

BAPTISM    OF    THE    SPIRIT, 

THE    PRAYER    OF    MOSES,      . 

THE    BETTER    PART,  .... 

THE    BETTER    PART,    CONTINUED, 

THE    VIGOROUS    NATURE    OF    TRUE    GRACE, 

THE    BACKSLIDER    INSTRUCTED    AND    ADMONISHED, 

SPIRITUAL    REVIVAL,  ..... 

HOLY   JOY, 

HOLY  JOY  WITHDRAWN,      .... 
PRAYER  FOR  SPIRITUAL  ENLARGEMENT, 


HIS  '- 


PAOE. 

225 

240 

245 
248 
256 
265 
274 
281 
291 
302 
309 
316 
324 
329 
336 
348 
356 
363 
369 
376 
384 
396 
401 
410 
415 
420 
425 
433 
440 
445 
450 


f^!-_A^J^3A'^' 


Ol^OGlO^y 


-^^^-'li^^ 


ORIGINAL  THOUGHTS,   ETC. 


— '-vr\  y^j^/ -^ 


THE    SCHOOL   OF   ADVERSITY. 

So  they  two  went  until  they  came  to  Bethlehem.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  they  were  come  to  Bethlehem,  that  all  the  city  was  moved 
about  them,  and  they  said,  Is  this  Naomi  1  And  she  said  unto  them, 
Call  me  not  Naomi,  call  me  Mara  :  for  the  Almighty  hath  dealt  very 
bitterly  with  me,  I  went  out  full,  and  the  Lord  hath  brought  me 
home  again  empty  :  Why  then  call  ye  me  Naomi,  seeing  the  Lord 

*  hath  testified  against  me,  and  the  Almighty  hath  afflicted  me  1 — 
Ruth  i.  19—21.  [1807.] 

Life  has  been,  by  some,  compared  to  a  journey,  in 
which  wisdom  is  found  watching  on  the  way,  and 
careful  where  she  arrives -at  the  end.  This  is  a  great 
abuse  of  the  truest  wisdom  :  he  only  is  wise  who  is 
made  wise  from  above  ;  that  is  the  truly  wise  man ! 
But  how  shall  this  wisdom  be  produced  ?  and  that  in 
such  a  trifling,  careless,  inconsiderate  creature  as  man  ? 
God  prepares  a  school  of  affliction  to  this  end.  There 
is  more  real  wisdom  to  be"  gathered  from  sanctified  af- 
fliction than  all  the  world  can  furnish.  The  text  ex- 
hibits the  effects  of  becoming  instructed  in  that  school. 

A  pious  woman,  who  was  called  Naomi,  i.  e.  blessed, 
was  driven  by  famine  into  the  country  of  Moab,  to- 
gether with  her  husband  and  two  sons.  Her  husband 
was  taken  from  her  by  death  ;  and  next,  her  two  sons, 
who  had  each  of  them  married  wives  of  the  daughters 
of  Moab.     "  And  the  woman  was  left  of  her  two  sons 


8  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  her  husband.  Then  she  arose  with  her  daughters- 
in-law,  that  she  might  return  from  the  country  of 
Moab ;  for  she  had  heard  in  the  country  of  Moab  how 
that  the  Lord  had  visited  his  people  in  giving  them 
bread."  .  .  .  "So  they  went  till  they  came  to 
Bethlehem.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  were- 
come  to  Bethlehem,  that  all  the  city  was  moved  about 
them,  and  they  said,  Is  not  this  Naomi  ?  And  she  said 
unto  them.  Call  me  not  Naomi,"  q.  d.  that  name  does 
not  suit  my  state  and  condition  now — call  me  not 
"  blessed  :"  I  have  passed  a  trying  path  since  I  have 
been  from  home  !  "  Call  me  Mara,"  i.  e,  bitter  ;  the 
Lord,  in  his  providence,  has  called  me  so  :  "I  went 
out  full,  and  the  Lord  has  brought  me  home  again 
empty."  Call  me,  then,  as  the  Lord  has  called  me  by 
this  dispensation  :  and  seeing  he  has  called  me  to  pos- 
sess bitter  things,  I  would  remain  as  he  has  appointed. 
This  subject  w^as  chosen  in  order  to  show  the  ben- 
efit   OF  AN  AFFLICTIVE  DISPENSATION.       Let   US  look  at 

it  in  two  or  three  points  of  view. 

1st.  This  is  God's  mode  of  candying  on  a  heavenly 
education.  It  is  his  mode  of  curing  the  idolatry  of  the 
heart.  We  are  all  idolaters  by  nature.  It  is  mere 
trifling  to  say,  we  do  not  worship  idols  of  wood  and 
stone.  If  our  heart  departs  from  the  Lord,  and  fixes 
upon  any  creature  whatever,  we  must  be  cured  of  this 
idolatry.  Ephraim  shall  be  made  to  say,  "  What  have 
I  to  do  any  more  with  idols  ?"  It  must  not  be  my 
wife,  or  my  children,  which  I  call  my  property,  nor 
my  reputation  ;  but  it  must  be  7ny  God.  It  is  a  mir- 
acle of  grace  where  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in 
the  heart  of  man.  Whenever  this  is  brought  about, 
the  Lord  himself  tells  us  how  this  is  done.  "  I  taught 
Ephraim  to  go,  taking  them  by  their  arms."  Hosea 
xi.  3.     I  drew  mv  Church  "  with  the  cords  gf  a  man, 


THE    SCHOOL    OF    ADVERSITY.  9 

with  bands  of  love  :"  you  teach  your  children  to  walk  ; 
you  do  not  teach  them  difficult  things  at  first :  I  taught 
Ephraim — 1  softened  his  hard  heart — I  taught  him  to 
weep  over  his  stiff  neck — I  taught  him  to  wear  the 
voke — I  educated  him,  in  order  to  make  him  humble 
and  teachable,  like  a  little  child.  What  can  you  do 
with  your  children  while  they  are  stubborn  ?  what 
can  you  do  with  the  best  seal,  while  the  wax  is  hard  ? 
You  must  soften  the  wax,  before  you  can  make  an 
impression.  Without  this  discipline  and  education, 
they  would  have  said,  "  Our  tongues  are  our  own  ; 
who  is  Lord  over  us  ?"  But  "  I  taught  Ephraim" — I 
softened  his  spirit, — I  taught  him  that  a  proud  reptile 
is  a  complete  wretch.  If  the  will  be  not  broken,  self- 
will  will  become  the  ruin  of  that  heart.  A  heathen 
may  call  a  proud  spirit  a  virtue  :  the  Bible  calls  it  sin. 

A  young  heedless  child,  whipping  a  top  upon  the 
edge  of  a  precipice,  is  a  complete  picture  of  the  levity 
and  inconsideration  of  man  by  nature.  He  says,  Let 
me  be  amused  ;  let  me  not  go  to  school  and  be  in- 
structed ;  let  me  not  wear  any  yoke.  But  what  says 
the  Lord  ?  "I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with 
him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit :"  I  have 
ordained  that  this  shall  be  the  first  lesson  in  my  school ; 
and  when  there  begins  to  be  some  proficiency  in  this 
lesson,  there  will  be  a  new  manner  of  speaking :  "  I 
have  surely  heard  Ephraim  bemoaning  himself  thus : 
Thou  hast  chastised  me,  and  I  was  chastised,  as  a  bul- 
lock unaccustomed  to  the  voke  :  turn  thou  me,  and  I 
shall  be  turned  ;  for  thou  art  the  Lord  my  God."  Then, 
the  Lord  says,  "  Is  Ephraim  my  dear  son  ?  Is  he  a 
pleasant  child  ?"  Now,  he  is  taught  to  go ;  his  educa- 
tion is  somewhat  advanced.  This  is  the  school  into 
which  God  brought  Naomi. 

The  Scriptures  not  only  set  before  us  precepts,  and 

^1* 


10  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS.  ^ 

show  US  the  benefit  of  our  being  torn  up  by  the  roots, 
and  every  pleasant  thing  being  taken  from  us,  but  here 
is  a  picture  of  this  before  us.  "  Js  not  this  Naomi  ?" 
No ;  it  is  not.  Call  me  not  Naomi — call  me  Mara  : 
for  the  arrows  of  the  Almighty  have  pierced  my  spirit. 
2ndly.  Another  benefit  of  a  suffering  dispensation, 
when  sanctified  by  God,  is,  that  it  produces  a  irwral 
sensibility  :  it  impresses  on  the  mind  and  heart  this 
sentiment — God  is  here  !  Call  me  Mara  :  for  the  Al- 
mighty hath  dealt  very  bitterly  with  me.  The  sensi- 
tive conscience,  when  instructed  in  the  school  of  ad- 
versity, sees  God  acting  in  every  thing  ;  and  traces 
back  the  present  dispensation  to  the  cause  of  it.  When 
trouble  comes  upon  an  unrenewed  heart,  the  sinner 
rages,  and  does  not  mark  God's  hand.  But  how  dif- 
ferent was  the  effect  upon  Job  !  He  says,  "  I  have 
heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  but  now  mine 
eye  seeth  thee."  It  is  thou  who  hast  done  it.  ''  Where- 
fore I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes."  q.  d. 
Now  I  am  brou^-ht  to  the  interior  understandino;  of  the 
dispensation,  and  realize  a  sensibility  of  mind.  I  see 
that  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  without  God. 
David  felt  this,  when  he  wrote  the  cxxxixth  Psalm  : 
"  Thou  compassest  my  path  and  my  lying  dowai,  and 
art  acquainted  with  all  my  ways."  It  is  one  great- 
work  of  regenerating  grace  to  bring  the  heart  into 
this  state  of  sensibility  :  to  teach  Eli  to  say,  "  It  is  the 
Lord," — that  is  enough, — *'  let  him  do  what  seemeth 
him  good  !"  When  an  unbeliever  meets  with  trials, 
the  first  thing  he  begins  to  feel  is  resentment.  He 
falls  upon  the  enemy  ;  but  David  says,  Draw  not  thy 
sword  against  Shimei  :  you  are  a  set  of  poor  carnal 
reasoners  :  I  see  that  a  dog  could  not  move  his  tongue 
against  me  if  the  Lord  had  not  bid  him  do  it.  Or,  as 
he  says  in  another  place — *'  I  opened  not  my  mouth, 


THE    SCHOOL    OF    ADVERSITY.  H 

because  thou  didst  it."  **  I  opened  not  my  mouth" — I 
was  dumb  before  thee. 

It  is  this  spirit  which  is  exempHfied  in  the  text : 
"  Call  me  not  Naomi ;"  q.  d.  God  hath  crushed  all  my 
hopes  in  this  world  ;  but  I  desire  to  lie  as  clay  in  the 
hand  of  the  potter.  The  Lord  has  not  only  taught  me 
to  call  myself  Mara,  but  I  would  wish  others  to  call 
me  so  :  since  it  is  his  will,  I  choose  it.  But,  though 
he  has  cast  me  down,  he  can  lift  me  up :  it  is  the  Al- 
mighty who  has  done  it ;  and  he  can  build  me  up. 

Srdly.  Such  a  dispensation  of  sanctified  affliction 
produces  a  light  in  a  dark  place.  It  enables  a  Chris- 
tian to  stand  forth  and  show  what  Christianity  is.  It 
shows  that  there  has  been  a  transaction  between  God 
and  the  soul, — a  holy  friendship  and  acquaintance. 
That  religion  which  does  not  bring  God  and  man  to- 
gether is  nothing.  Naomi,  in  an  idolatrous  land,  was 
as  a  light  in  a  dark  place  :  her  example  had  made  such 
an  impression  upon  the  mind  of  Ruth,  that  she  could 
not  tear  herself  away  from  her  mother-in-law  ;  and 
though  Orpah  was  less  constant,  yet  her  heart  was  so 
much  affected,  that  she  felt  the  separation  very  diffi- 
cult, there  was  something  so  attractive  in  her  spirit 
and  principles. 

There  are  certain  things  in  chemistry  which  have 
an  affinity  with  each  other ;  every  particle  will  find 
out  that  part  which  unites  with  itself,  and  will  affect 
it.  There  seems  to  have  been  a  natural  affinity  be- 
tween the  minds  of  Naomi  and  Ruth  ;  and,  as  Chris- 
tians, they  were  made  to  drink  into  the  same  spirit. 
Thus  the  conduct  of  Naomi, — her  light  shining  before 
men,  working  together  with  the  attachment  between 
her  and  her  daughter-in-law, — enabled  this  poor  af- 
flicted woman  to  become  a  missionary,  and  to  be  the 
means  of  bringing  at  least  one  idolater  to  the  knowl- 


12  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

edge  of  the  true  God.  We  see  that  God  does  not 
seek  the  learned  to  do  his  work  ;  he  makes  Naomi  a 
light  in  the  midst  of  darkness. 

That  difficult  passage  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the 
first  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  of  which  I  have  seen 
fourteen  different  explanations,  seems  to  bear  upon  this 
subject.  "  Else,  what  shall  they  do  who  are  baptized 
for  the  dead  ?"  or  baptized  over  the  dead  ? — take  their 
place.  It  is  certain  that  the  blood  of  the  Martyrs  was 
the  seed  of  the  Church  ;  and  while  some  were  cut  oflf, 
others  rushed  in — drank  into  their  spirit, — because  of 
"  the  better  hope."  It  is  astonishing  what  an  effect 
may  be  produced  upon  a  family,  and  even  upon  a 
neighborhood,  when  one  person  shall  thus  stand  forth 
and  demonstrate  that  he  has  passed  from  death  unto  life  ! 

4thly.  Another  benefit  of  an  afflictive  dispensation 
is,  that  it  prepares  the  mind  for  prosperity.  We  have 
an  instance  of  this  in  the  text.  See  the  changes  which 
Naomi  underwent.  Driven  away  by  famine ;  stript 
of  her  husband  and  her  children,  she  comes  back,  say- 
ing, *'Call  me  not  Naomi ;  call  me  Mara  !"  This  was 
the  forming  of  her  character.  "  He  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted."  God  brings  down  to  build 
up  again.  See  her  concluding  history,  in  the  last 
chapter  of  this  book :  *'  And  the  women  said  unto 
Naomi,  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  which  hath  not  left  thee 
this  day  without  a  kinsman,  that  his  name  may  be  fa- 
mous in  Israel.  .  .  .  And  they  called  his  name  Obed  : 
he  is  the  father  of  Jesse,  the  father  of  David."  No 
greater  honor  could  have  been  put  upon  her  than  to 
have  thus  been  brought  into  the  line  of  David. 

There  is  no  state  more  desirable  in  the  eyes  of  the 
young  than  that  of  prosperity.  "  Let  me  be  rich !" 
"  let  me  be  honorable  !"  "  let  me  be  great !"  and  '*  let 
me  make  great  friends  in  the  world  !"  ^ 


THE    SCHOOL    OF    ADVERSITY.  13 

Oh  that  I  could  set  before  you  the  consequences  of 
that  wish,  even  if  it  could  be  obtained  !  Oh  that  I 
could  show  you  the  consequences  of  your  passions  be- 
ing gratified  !  I  should  show  you  something  like  oil 
being  poured  into  the  fire, — I  should  show  you  Satan 
gaining  his  grand  point, — I  should  show  you  what 
would  be  your  greatest  misfortune !  The  best  thing 
you  can  obtain,  is  the  spirit  of  Naomi,  after  she  was 
taught  of  God  ;  or,  more  properly,  the  mind  of  Christ, 
who  bore  his  cross,  and  carried  our  sorrows :  who, 
"  though  he  was  a  Son,  yet  learned  he  obedience  by 
the  things  that  he  suffered."  An  old  poet  has  thus  ad- 
monished the  young : — 

"Pitch  thy  behavior  low — thy  project  high."* 

God  calls  us  to  bow,  to  submit  to  our  dispensation,  to 
learn  to  abhor  ourselves.  This  is  the  consecrated  path, 
the  "narrow  way,"  the  road  to  *' glory,  honor,  immor- 
tality, and  eternal  life."  The  way  to  honor  is  first  to 
know  ourselves — to  submit  to  God  ;  otherwise  we  are 
not  prepared  for  prosperity :  we  are  not  in  that  state 
of  mind  which  will  prevent  prosperity  from  becoming 
mischievous  to  us. 

Naomi  sowed  in  tears  ;  and  what  says  the  Psalmist  ? 
*'  He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious 
seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  rejoicing,  bring- 
ing his  sheaves  with  him."  Psalm  cxxvi.  6.  For 
some  time,  it  may  seem  to  be  thrown  away ;  yet,  if  he 
goeth  forth,  he  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  re- 
joicing. Thank  God,  if  you  have  the  mark  of  "  sons," 
and  not  "bastards."  (Heb.  xii.  8.)  Though  you  may 
be  under  trying  dispensations,  God  has  heard  your 
prayers  :  he  is  remembering  you  with  the  favor  which 
he  bears  to  his  people.     Beware  of  saying,  "  How  doth 

*  Herbert's  «  Church  Porch." 


14  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

God  know  ?  can  he  judge  through  the  dark  cloud  ?"  Job 
xxii.  13.  Let  us  learn  what  is  the  true  and  acceptable 
disposition — I  do  not  say  to  the  w^orld,  but  to  God — a 
child-like  submission  to  our  dispensation,  i.  e.  to  God. 

A  word  to  the  stout-hearted,  that  think  the  contrite 
spirit  meanness,  and  want  of  courage.  How  far  from 
God  are  ye!  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  them 
whom  he  proposes  to  bless  :  "  I  will  take  away  the 
stony  heart," — the  hard  heart, — "  and  will  give  them 
a  heart  of  flesh."  And  again  :  "  Except  a  man  be 
born  again,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  And  again  :  "  Except  ye  he  converted  and 
become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  And  again :  Take  my  yoke 
upon  you,  and  learn  of  me,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  to 
your  souls." 

It  is  a  wonderful  condescension  in  God,  that  when 
we  cannot  come  up  to  meet  him  on  his  ground,  he  will 
come  down  to  meet  us  upon  our  own  ground.  He 
will,  in  mercy,  use  arguments  to  melt  our  hard  hearts, 
and  subdue  our  proud  spirits.  "  The  heart  must  be 
humbled  before  it  can  be  helped  or  healed.  God  forms 
his  sons  in  the  wilderness. 


THE  DISCIPLINE  OF  CHRIST. 

Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly 
in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is 
easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. — Matt.  xi.  29,  30.  [1791.] 

When  our  Lord  came  upon  earth,  he  came  with 
every  mark  of  the  true  Messiah  :  yet  his  own  received 
him  not. 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    CHRIST.  16 

"Whereunto  shall  I  liken  the  children  of  this  gene- 
ration ?"  says  Christ.  They  found  fault  with  John 
because  he  came  "  neither  eating  nor  drinking ;"  and 
they  now  find  fault  with  our  Lord,  because  he  came 
both  "eating  and  drinking:"  vers.  18,  19.  By  this 
they  showed  there  indisposedness  to  receive  the  truth. 
Christ  shows  them  the  punishment  which  such  a  con- 
duct will  incur:  vers.  20,  21. 

But,  that  no  true  penitent  may  be  discouraged  by 
these  threatenings,  he  says,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest. 
Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me ;  for  I  am 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto 
your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is 
light."  Here  is  a  counsellor,  in  the  text,  who  can  ful- 
fil this  promise  of  rest,  as  well  as  all  others,  for  time 
and  eternity. 

The  term  "yoke"  signifies  service — subjection.  See 
1  Kings  xii.  4;  and  1  Tim.  vi.  1.  Here  might  also  be 
an  allusion  to  the  law  of  Moses.  There  is  the  yoke  of 
legal  ceremonies.  See  Acts  xv.  10 ;  and  Gal.  v.  1. 
They  are  called  a  yoke  in  respect  of  their  variety,  and 
the  difficulty  of  performing  them ;  in  respect  of  their 
chargeablo^^s  and  inefficacy,  being  only  shadows  of 
good  things  to  come.  Heb.  x.  1.  Therefore  our  Lord 
seems  to  say  to  his  disciples,  "  You  have  been  used  to 
a  yoke :  I  am  a  Master,  and  have  a  yoke :  the  self- 
denial,  the  afflictions,  the  trials,  the  conflicts,  to  which  my 
servants  are  called,  make  a  part  of  it ;  but,  in  compar- 
ison to  every  other,  "  my  yoke  is  eas}^  and  my  burden 
is  light." 

"  My  yoke  is  easy,"  i.  e.  a  gracious,  reasonable, 
profitable,  advantageous  service.  It  shall  not  be  a 
grievous,  oppressive,  heavy  burden.  L^  I  call  you  to 
sustain  a  weight,  I  will  give  you  strength  to  bear  it. 


16  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

How  heavy  a  yoke  was  contained  in  that  sentence, 
"  Cursed  is  every  one  that  continueth  not  in  all  things 
that  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them !" 
Compare  it  with  the  Gospel  rule,  1  John  v.  3.  ''  This  is 
the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  commandments." 

The  man  that  knows  what  a  slavish,  wretched  yoke 
sin  puts  upon  the  shoulders — how  it  drives  peace  and 
comfort  from  his  heart — how  it  puts  him  upon  expense 
and  labor  to  seek  a  little  rest,  in  one  vain  pursuit 
after  another — will  allow  that  no  yoke  and  service  is  so 
heavy  as  that  of  Satan.  Christ  says — I  am  a  Master, 
and  a  good  Master.  You  have  hitherto  served  a  bad 
master,  and  he  has  put  a  very  heavy  yoke  on  your 
shoulders. 

We  are  apt  to  think  only  of  gross  sins  ;  and  forget 
the  sin  of  "  a  stiff  neck"  and  a  "  stony  heart."  The 
text  implies  that  we  should  not  only  enter  into  Christ's 
service,  but  learn  how  to  serve  him.  We  should  not 
resist  the  discipline  of  God  with  us.  "  Jeshurun  waxed 
fat  and  kicked  :"  God  had  strong  hold  upon  him,  but  he 
kicked.  When  he  became  submissive — when  he  learned 
to  wear  the  yoke — God  says,  ''  I  have  surely  heard 
Ephraim  bemoaning  himself  thus  :  Thou  hast  chastised 
me,  and  I  was  chastised,  as  a  bullock  unaccustomed  to 
the  yoke.  Surely,  after  I  was  instructed,  I  smote  upon 
my  thigh."  Then  God  says,  "  Is  not  Ephraim  a  plea- 
sant child  ?"     He  has  now  taken  my  yoke. 

In  the  school  of  Christ  there  are  certain  paradoxes, 
seeming  contradictions  which  it  is  our  interest  to  study. 
The  text  holds  out  one,  namely,  that  we  shall  gain  free- 
dom by  wearing  a  yoke,  and  ease  by  bearing  a  burden. 
There  are  schools  for  every  science — philosophy,  astro- 
nomy, physic,  &c.  Let  us  never  forget  the  school  of 
Christ,  where  the  scholar  is  taught  this  grand  lesson, 
among  many  others — that  by  the  cross  of  Christ  we 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    CHRIST.  17 

overcome,  and  obtain  all  things :  that  we  conquer  by- 
submission  ;  that  there  is  laid  up  for  us  an  eternal 
weight  of  glory,  but  that  the  way  to  it  is  through  the 
valley  of  humiliation. 

The  true  Christian  begins  with  the  mind  of  a  little 
child :  he  goes  on  like  a  child  that  "  is  weaned  of  his 
mother :"  he  proceeds  as  a  submissive  child  :  he  takes 
the  yoke.  These  words  imply,  Seek  rest  in  my  yoke. 
There  is  no  help  under  our  rising  doubts — doubts  that 
rise  and  spring  up  like  locusts,  and  devour  our  green 
things,  but  in  asking,  What  does  God  say  ?  This  is 
the  only  way  to  get  the  mind  decided. 

Is  a  man  oppressed  and  worn  with  pain  ?  Who  sends 
pain?  The  Lord  sends  it,  as  a  wise  Physician.  He 
could  take  it  away  in  a  moment :  but  as  he  will  sanctify 
it,  and  as  he  has  wise  ends  for  leaving  it,  he  says  only, 
*'  Take  my  yoke,"  and  be  easy.  This  is  taking  it  away 
while  leaving  it.  We  may  want  to  choose  a  way  of 
our  own  ;  we  may  want  to  go  this  way,  while  he  is 
turning  us  the  other :  but  let  us  not  dispute  with  our 
Master,  and  be  like  the  "  bullock  unaccustomed  to  the 
yoke."     Let  us  believe  that  his  way  is  the  best  way. 

If  any  are  under  the  dominion  of  pride,  self-will, 
"  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind,"  let 
them  remember,  these  are  fatal  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
which  is  set  up  for  the  overthrow  of  the  kingdom  of 
darkness.  Christ  proposes  his  yoke  that  we  may  wear 
it ;  not  merely  hear  of  it  from  the  preacher — talk  about 
it — speculate  upon  it ;  but,  put  it  on  and  wear  it.  This 
is  the  characteristic  of  a  true  Christian. 

"  Learn  of  me."  If  ever  we  wear  the  yoke  to  any 
purpose,  it  must  be  by  learning  of  Christ.  Take  my 
cross,  says  Christ,  and  bear  it  to  the  end,  and  my  cross 
shall  bear  you  up.  This  is  the  grand  secret.  Nothing 
else  can  bear  you  up. 


1.8  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS, 

The  conquest  as  well  as  the  counsel  of  Christ  gives 
us  rest.  It  is  as  though  he  should  say,  "  Be  of  good 
cheer — bear  up  ;  make  a  stand  ;  think  not  to  despond  : 
consider  who  I  am  ;  how  I  have  overcome  before  you ; 
consider  the  steps  I  have  taken ;  consider  how  I  spoiled 
death ;  remember,  I  have  not  only  overcome  before  you, 
but  for  you ;  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you. 
"  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  Here  is  a  remedy 
for  your  depraved  nature. 

If  there  is  any  pain  in  bearing  Christ's  yoke,  it  is 
because  the  wearer  has  "  a  stiff  neck,"  a  neck  "  unac- 
customed to  the  yoke."  You  may  have  been  long  in 
the  world's  and  the  devil's  service  ;  but  has  it  afforded 
any  rest  ?  Christ  says,  "  Come  unto  me,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest ;"  renounce  the  former  service,  accept  my 
offer  ;  is  it  not  freely  offered  ?  is  it  not  the  "  one  thing 
needful?"  Remember,  if  you  object  to  wearing  the 
yoke  of  Christ,  there  is  no  other  alternative  ;  you  must 
either  have  his  yoke,  or  a  millstone  that  will  sink  you 
into  eternal  ruin  :  "  for  the  wages  of  sin  is  death." 

If  we  would  be  inquiring  how  our  Lord  w^ould  act 
in  such  or  such  a  case,  let  us  hear  him  saying,  "  Learn 
of  me;"  I  am  a  meek  teacher;  I  can  have  patience. 
"Consider  him  who  endured  such  contradiction  of 
sinners  against  himself,  lest  ye  be  wearied  and  faint  in 
your  minds."  *'  I  am  meek  and  lowly  of  heart."  St. 
Peter,  in  the  second  chapter  of  his  first  Epistle,  shows 
us  how  this  example  of  Christ  bears  on  our  case :  "  If, 
when  ye  do  well  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently, 
this  is  acceptable  with  God.  .  .  .  Because  Christ  also 
suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example  that  ye  should 
follow  his  steps.  .  .  .  Who,  when  he  was  reviled,  re- 
viled not  again ;  when  he  suffered,  he  threatened  not ; 
but  committed  himself  to  him  that  judgeth  righteously." 
We  must,  all  the  way  we  go,  be  learnings  of  Christ. 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    CHRIST.  19 

"  And  ye  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls."  **  The  work 
of  righteousness  shall  be  peace  ;  and  the  effect  of  right- 
eousness quietness  and  assurance  forever."  Isaiah 
xxxii.  17.  Ye  shall  find  rest  in  my  blood :  ''  Whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in 
his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness  for  the  remission 
of  sins  that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God 
— to  declare,  I  say,  at  this  time,  his  righteousness  :  that 
he  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that  believeth 
in  Jesus."     Rom.  iii.  25,  26. 

The  freedom  from  slavery  which  this  service  brings 
is  a  perfect  evidence  of  the  truth  of  Christianity.  A 
man  may  boast  of  his  freedom — of  his  liberty — of  his 
wearing  no  yoke  ;  but,  is  he  not  torn  by  passion  ?  is  he 
not  led  captive  by  the  love  of  money  ?  is  he  not  the 
slave  of  custom,  of  pride,  of  pleasure  ?  is  he  not  the 
dupe  of  every  folly  which  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil  can  present  ?  And  can  this  man  boast  of  free- 
dom ?  See  2  Peter  ii.  19.  "  While  they  promise  them 
liberty,  they  themselves  are  the  servants  of  corruption  : 
for  of  whom  a  man  is  overcome,  of  the  same  is  he 
brought  in  bondage."  The  prodigal  says,  "  If  I  can 
but  throw  oflf  this  yoke,  I  shall  be  free :"  instead  of 
which,  he  rivets  the  chains  of  slavery  upon  him. 

The  language  of  the  text  is  confirmed  by  Christian 
experience.  St.  Paul,  who  was  "  in  labors  more  abun- 
dant :  in  stripes  above  measure  :  in  prisons  more  fre- 
quent :  in  deaths  oft :  beaten  with  rods :  suffering 
shipwreck :  in  perils  :  in  weariness :  painfulness :  watch- 
ings  :  hunger  and  thirst :  cold  and  nakedness  ;"  see 
2  Cor.  xi.  23 ;  yet,  when  his  account  of  the  yoke  of  Christ 
was  summed  up,  says,  "  Our  light  afiliction,  which  is 
but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  And  again  :  "  I  reckon 
that  the  sufl^erings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy 


20  _  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
in  us."  See  how  Moses  estimated  Christ's  yoke : 
"  Esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than 
the  treasures  of  Egypt."     Heb.  xi.  26. 

My  dear  hearers,  the  fact  is,  we  have  been  followers 
of  vanity,  and  are  bound,  as  captives,  till  the  yoke  of 
Christ  sets  us  free.  Let  such  as  have  obtained  free- 
dom rejoice  in  the  yoke,  and  recommend  it  to  others. 
The  prospects,  aids,  and  supports  that  are  afforded  us 
should  teach  us  to  take  up  cheerfully  whatever  yoke 
Christ  lays  upon  us ;  to  glory  in  his  cross,  and  count 
it  our  highest  privilege  to  be  in  his  service. 

Christ  undertakes  for  his  children,  when  he  sa3^s, 
*'  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden." 
What  a  vast  weight  is  taken  off  the  believer's  shoul- 
ders, by  his  leaving  all  consequences  to  God !  A 
Christian  ceases  to  ask.  How  shall  I  bear  this  trouble  ? 
how  shall  I  act  in  such  a  difficulty  ?  how  shall  I  get 
through  such  deep  waters  ? — He  leaves  it  all  to  God. 


SUBMISSION  TO  GOD. 

I  was  dumb,  I  opened  not  my  mouth ;  because  thou  didst  it. — 

Psalm  xxxix.  9.  [1793.] 

It  is  reported  of  one  of  the  wisest  men  among  the 
ancients,*  that  the  first  step  which  he  took  with  his 
scholars  was  to  teach  them  silence  ;  and  this  he  en- 
joined on  them  for  a  considerable  time,  as  a  restraint 
necessary  to  check  their  natural  impetuosity.  Certain 
it  is,  that  God  teaches  this  to  all  his  scholars  :  for  man 
is  a  creature  of  self-will ;  he  is  proud,  and  fond  either 

*  Pythagoras. — Ed. 


SUBMISSION    TO    GOD.  21 

of  boasting  or  complaining :  and,  therefore,  he  naust 
be  taught,  by  various  dispensations,  though  it  be  like 
breaking  in  a  wild  ass's  colt.  There  is,  through  this 
Psalm,  reflection  subsequent  to  silence.  "  I  said,  I  will 
take  heed  to  my  ways,  that  I  sin  not  with  my  tongue. 
...  I  was  dumb  with  silence,  I  held  my  peace  even 
from  good  ;  and  my  sorrow  was  stirred." 

Let  us  endeavor  to  enter  into  the  Psalmist's  frame 
of  mind,  while  we  consider  some  of  those  circum- 
stances under  which  such  a  silence  would  become  us. 

It  may  be  suitable  to  a  gracious  soul  under  a  sense 
of  guilt.  Such  a  one  can  find  no  comfort  till  he  feels 
the  pardon  and  favor  of  God.  He  may  be  under  the 
smarting  rod  for  some  actual  transgression,  like  David. 
If  such  a  man  (I  speak  of  a  gracious  soul,  i.  e.  one 
that  has  felt  the  love  of  God,  and  the  spirit  of  adoption) 
feels  that  he  is  not  well  with  God,  then,  every  thing 
goes  ill  with  him.  But  if  he  is  in  a  state  of  mind  fit 
for  reflection,  humiliation,  and  submission  to  rebuke, 
deeply  conscious  of  his  past  weakness  and  unworthi- 
ness,  he  will  feel  it  vain  to  palliate  the  fact :  he  will 
speak  like  Reuben — "  We  are  verily  guilty  concerning 
our  brother  !"  For,  however  we  may  think  to  commit 
sin  secretly,  God's  word  will  never  be  broken  :  "  Be 
sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out."  If  a  man  has  been 
sowing  the  wind,  and  reaping  the  whirlwind — if  God 
has  come  down  to  him  as  he  did  to  Adam,  saying, 
"  Where  art  thou  ?" — then,  if  he  is  in  a  right  mind,  he 
will  say,  *'  I  will  bear  the  indignation  of  the  Lord,  be- 
cause I  have  sinned  against  him  :"  my  business  is  to  be 
silent  before  God  :  "  I  was  dumb,  I  opened  not  my  mouth ; 
because  thou  didst  it."  There  is  a  fine  picture  of  this 
kind  of  silence  in  Eli :  he  did  not  attempt  to  excuse 
himself:  he  said,  "It  is  the  Lord;  let  him  do  what 
seemeth  him  good!"  Sin  will  send  a  man   into  "  the 


22  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

depths."  See  Psalm  cxxx.  4.  What  trouble  and  sorrow 
does  it  always  bring !  If  a  man  has  a  hard  heart,  and 
cannot  pray  to  God  as  he  has  been  used  to  do,  what  a 
depth  is  that  to  a  Christian  !  But  it  is  never  too  late 
to  go  to  God  for  help  :  to  humble  ourselves  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord,  that  he  may  exalt  us  in  due  time.  Thus 
God  says  by  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  "  When  I  am  pacified 
towards  thee,  thou  shalt  no  more  open  thy  mouth  :"  q. 
d.  you  have  been  used  to  be  clamorous,  and  to  complain  ; 
you  have  been  used  to  boast,  and  to  censure  :  but "  when 
I  am  pacified  towards  thee,  thou  shalt  no  more  open 
thy  mouth."     Ezek.  xvi.  63. 

2.  Suppose  a  man  to  be  visited  with  a  providential 
reverse  of  circumstances  :  so  that,  like  Job,  to-day  he 
is  prosperous,  and  to-morrow  he  has  lost  every  thing ; 
and  one  messenger  comes  after  another  to  inform  him 
of  his  calamity.  How  does  he  receive  this  affliction  ? 
Does  he  have  recourse  to  self-murder  ?  Does  he  talk 
of  being  broken-hearted  ? — Not  if  he  is  taught  of  God. 
It  will  be  a  sign  of  spiritual  health,  if  he  is  patient  and 
resigned  under  his  trials  :  it  will  be  a  symptom  that  he 
is  in  a  state  of  pardon  and  reconciliation  with  God,  if 
he  says,  in  the  spirit  of  the  text,  "  I  was  dumb,  I  opened 
not  my  mouth  ;  because  thou  didst  it."  Job  was  tempted 
to  speak  unadvisedly  with  his  lips ;  but  when  he  re- 
covered himself,  what  does  he  say  ?  - "  Behold,  1  am 
vile ;  what  shall  I  answer  thee  ?  I  will  lay  my  hand 
upon  my  mouth.  Once  have  I  spoken  ;  but  I  will  not 
answer :  yea,  twice  ;  but  I  will  proceed  no  farther." 

Srdly.  Suppose  a  man  to  be  under  oppression :  this 
was  frequently  the  case  with  David  ;  therefore  he  says, 
"  I  will  keep  my  mouth  with  a  bridle,  while  the  wicked 
is  before  me."  How  remarkable  a  demonstration  of 
this  did  he  give  in  the  case  of  Shimei,  as  though  he  had 
said,  I  dare  not  resent ;  for  I  know  what  God  is  doing 


SUBMISSION    TO    GOD.  23 

by  that  reviler !  But  I  know  how  to  stop  the  mouth  of 
this  man,  by  letting  him  alone :  "  I  was  as  one  that 
heareth  not,  and  in  whose  mouth  there  are  no  repoofs." 
Oh  that,  through  life,  we  could  do  this !  that  we  could 
say,  "  This,  and  the  other  matter,  is  in  the  hand  of  God  ; 
and  I  will  leave  it  to  him." 

4thly.  This  silence  before  God  will  become  a  man 
who  is  arrested  by  disease,  so  that,  day  after  day,  he 
has  no  rest  in  his  bones.  What  is  all  this  ?  The  phy- 
sician may  say,  "  Your  case  is  incurable  ;  but  you  must 
keep  up  your  spirits,  and  show  fortitude  !"  But  the 
Scripture  says,  "  Humble  yourself  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God."  In  pain,  sickness,  or  want,  methinks 
I  hear  God  saying,  "  Take  this  medicine  :  it  is  exactly 
suited  to  your  case ;  weighed  out  by  my  own  hand : 
take  this  medicine  from  me."  Thus  while  an  ungodly 
man  is  quarrelling  with  all  around  him,  the  instructed 
Christian  says,  This  medicine  is  my  remedy :  this  bitter 
is  sweet :  God  could  have  relieved  me,  but  he  does  not: 
therefore  I  will  continue  to  bear  this  affliction.  "  I  was 
dumb,  I  opened  not  my  mouth ;  because  thou  didst  it." 

5thly.  This  language  becomes  a  Christian's  lips, 
ivhen  God  takes  away  the  delight  of  his  eyes.  God 
said  to  Ezekiel,  "  Son  of  man,  behold,  I  take  away 
from  thee  the  desire  of  thine  eyes  with  a  stroke  :  yet 
neither  shalt  thou  mourn  nor  weep,  neither  shall  thine 
eyes  run  down.  Forbear  to  cry  :"  i.  e.  be  silent :  "be- 
cause I  have  set  thee  for  a  sign  to  the  house  of  Israel." 
And  herein  Christianity  appears  so  worthy  of  its  author, 
in  that  it  lifts  a  man  above  himself,  and  enables  him  to 
exercise  dependence,  trust,  and  submission  to  God  when 
he  cannot  see  a  step  before  him.  Philosophy  may  in- 
fuse stubborness,  but  it  is  religion  only  that  can  give 
faith  ;  that  can  make  Aaron  hold  his  peace  when  his 
two  sons  are  devoured  by  fire  from  the  Lord ;   (see 


24  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Lev.  X.  3.)  and,  in  so  doing,  to  justify  God.  This  silence 
is  most  expressive,  for  it  seems  to  say,  "  I  cannot  now 
comprehend  what  God  is  about ;  but  I  can  look  forward 
to  a  time  when  I  shall ;  by  and  by,  I  shall  know  how 
much  better  it  was  for  me  that  my  wife,  or  my  child, 
should  be  taken  away !"  A  man  justifies  God,  when 
he  says  under  bereavements,  The  Lord  has  only  re- 
sumed what  he  lent  me  for  a  time :  He  saw  it  would 
become  my  snare.  No  man  is  a  destitute  man  who 
has  faith  in  exercise.  It  is  in  this  way  that  a  Christian 
glorifies  God :  where  others  sink  into  the  creature,  he 
says,  "  It  is  the  Lord ;  let  him  do  what  seemeth  him 
good." 

It  is  not  enough  that  we  are  persuaded  of  certain 
truths,  as  a  system  :  we  must  be  taught  them  by  various 
methods.  If  you  put  a  seal  upon  the  wax  while  it  is 
cold,  there  will  be  no  impression  :  or,  if  it  be  hot,  and 
you  lay  the  seal  on  lightly,  there  will  be  no  strong  im- 
pression :  but  if  the  wax  be  warm,  and  the  seal  be 
pressed,  the  impression  will  be  perfect.  So,  we  shall 
find,  that  when  a  man  has  learnt  truth,  it  is  necessary 
for  God  to  bring  it  home  by  some  strong  impression 
upon  his  heart :  he  will  bring  it  into  use  and  exercise. 
If,  therefore,  the  delight  of  your  eyes  be  taken  away 
with  a  stroke,  could  you  have  prayed  for  any  thing  bet- 
ter ?  Is  not  this  the  plucking  of  a  brand  out  of  the 
burning  ? 

If  a  worldly  man  is  bereaved,  he  is  bereaved  :  if  he 
has  no  fruit  in  his  vine,  where  has  he  any  ?     If  he  loses 

« 

the  delight  of  his  eyes  with  a  stroke,  where  must  he 
turn  for  comfort  ?  If  in  this  world  he  can  gain  no  help 
from  man,  where  can  he  gain  any  ?  If  he  is  seeking 
after  the  honor  and  fashion  of  this  world,  let  him  see 
where  it  ends  :  for  in  order  that  no  thoughtless  creature 
should  be  deceived,  nor  have  to  say  that  tio  one  ever 


SUBMISSION    TO    GOD.  25 

told  him  the  end  thereof,  our  Lord  himself  has  undrawn 
the  curtain  :  "  There  was  a  certain  rich  man  clothed 
in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously  every 
day  ;"  but  presently  the  scene  changes  :  "  and  in  hell 
he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments."  See  Luke 
xvi.  19. 

From  this  subject,  I  would  leave  on  your  minds  three 
general  hints : — 

1st.  The  text  teaches  us  the  right  state  of  mind 
under  bereaving  providences.  It  points  out  to  us  a 
grand  lesson  in  the  school  of  Christianity :  "  I  was  dumb, 
I  opened  not  my  mouth  ;  because  thou  didst  it."  The 
Christian  world  has  not  been  sufficiently  instructed  in 
this  duty  of  submission  to  God.  There  is  a  sort  of 
fashion  in  religion :  this,  or  the  other  grand  truth,  is 
made  the  prevailing  one  of  the  day  :  but  this  spirit  of 
humiliation,  this  silent  submission  to  God,  which  includes 
the  very  spirit  of  religion,  has  been  too  much  overlooked. 
But, ''  Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One,  that  inhabiteth 
eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy :  I  dwell  in  the  high  and 
holy  place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  hum- 
ble spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  re- 
vive the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones."  This  temper  of 
mind  is  set  before  us  in  a  variety  of  ways  in  Scripture, 
to  show  its  importance  and  weight. 

And  here  I  cannot  help  exposing  the  false  taste,  which 
holds  up  to  admiration  such  a  man  as  Cato,  who  com- 
mitted suicide  because  he  would  not  bear  the  ills  of  life. 
It  involves  important  consequences.  What  is  it  that 
has  brought  Europe  to  such  a  state,  as  of  late  ?  It  is 
the  spirit  of  those  who  said,  "  Our  tongues  are  our  own  ; 
who  is  lord  over  us  ?"  I  ask,  what  language  and  spirit 
can  be  more  opposite  to  that  of  the  text? 

2ndly.  Let  us  learn,  that  there  is  a  school  for  God's 
children  ;  even  his  well-beloved  Son  "learned  obedience 

2 


26  ORIGINAX.    THOUGHTS. 

by  the  things  that  he  suffered  :"  he  learned  the  nature 
of  obedience  experimentally — learned  the  advantages 
of  obedience,  and  the  difficulty  of  suffering  :  but  being 
"made  perfect,"  having  completed  the  work  he  under- 
took, having  run  his  race,  and  finished  his  course,  and 
obtained  the  victory,  he  declared  it  was  "finished  :"  lie 
became  "  perfect"  as  our  Mediator,  and  "  the  author  of 
eternal  salvation  to  all  those  who  obey  him."  With 
what  dignity  did  the  Son  of  God  go  through  the  unut- 
terable encounter  !  And  if  God's  own  Son  "  learned 
obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered,"  no  wonder 
we  should  be  sent  to  the  same  school,  in  which  are  dif- 
ferent forms,  and  some  hard  lessons,  to  be  learnt  by 
heart.  There  are  none  among  us  but  are  apt  to  revolt 
at  this  discipline,  and  cry  out, — comfort,  comfort !  hon- 
or !  &c.  But  we  must  remember,  that  this  learning 
obedience  is  highly  enriching,  when  we  have  learnt  to 
renounce  our  own  understanding  and  will ;  and  have 
had  our  affections  brought  off  from  the  idols  of  this 
world,  and  set  upon  things  above.  It  is  a  disposition 
to  give  up  all  to  Christ,  and  to  take  aWfrom  him. 

I  trust  we  meet  here  to  day  to  learn  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
to  inquire.  What  does  our  Master  say  ?  Let  us  listen 
to  him,  while  he  says,  "  Learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  of  heart."  I  was  led  as  a  lamb,  to  the 
slaughter ;  and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  was  dumb, 
so  I  opened  not  my  mouth :  I  took  the  bitter  cup,  and 
drank  it  even  to  the  dregs,  saying,  "Not  my  will,  but 
thine  be  done !"  "  He,  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  poured 
out  strong  crying  and  tears  unto  him  that  was  able  to 
save  him  from  death,  and  was  heard  in  that  he  feared." 
Every  suffering  was  a  school,  as  well  as  a  formal  act 
of  obedience.  These  sufferings,  which  our  Lord  en- 
dured in  the  discharge  of  his  priesthood,  were  not  only 
sacerdotal  sufferings,  an  expiatory  act,  but  he  learned 


SUBMISSION    TO    GOD.  27 

to  sympathize  with  our  infirmities :  "  We  have  not  an 
high  priest  who  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feehng  of 
our  infirmities,  but  who  was  in  all  points  tempted  like 
as  we  are  ;  yet  without  sin."  Christ  bore  the  cross, 
and  suffered  shame,  among  other  reasons,  to  teach  us 
hoic  to  go  through  suffering.  He  taught  us  that  si- 
lence and  submission  are  not  inconsistent  with  deep 
sorrow.  It  is  not  a  sinful  action  of  the  mind  to  feel 
our  afflictions  acutely  :  but  one  of  the  greatest  lessons 
we  have  to  learn  is,  obedience  and  submission.  Real 
obedience  to  Christ,  is  salvation  begun  in  the  soul : 
therefore  St.  Paul  says,  "  That  I  may  know  him,  and 
the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  being  made  comform- 
able  to  his  death."  What  does  the  whole  Gospel  teach 
us,  but  to  put  our  mouth  in  the  dust — to  be  silent  be- 
fore God — in  order  that  we  may  enter  into  that  peace 
and  joy  which  are  the  proper  fruits  of  sanctified  afflic- 
tion ? 

Whatever  we  may  know  of  Christianity,  we  are  in- 
structed very  imperfectly  indeed  if  we  have  not  learnt 
something  of  that  silence  and  submission  expressed  in  - 
the  text :  so  that,  "  when  the  Lord  ariseth  to  shake 
terribly  the  earth,"  or  to  shake  us  by  various  personal 
and  family  afflictions,  we  may  consider  that  the  spirit 
of  Christianity  will  lead  us  to  say  with  the  Psalmist, 
**  I  was  dumb,  I  opened  not  my  mouth  ;  because  thou 
didst  it." 

There  is  a  clear  distinction  between  silence  and  sul~ 
lenness.  A  holv  silence  is  the  result  of  submission  to 
God,  confidence  in  Christ,  and  that  consolation  which 
is  derived  from  Him. 

A  Christian  does  not  lose  his  feelings,  or  right  esti- 
mate of  things,  when  they  come  before  him  ;  but  he 
asks.  Whence  came  this  ?  "  Affliction  cometh  not 
forth  of  the  dust,  neither  doth  trouble  spring  out  of  the 


28  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

ground."  "  A  sinner,"  says  one,*  "  has  no  right  to 
complain  ;  and  a  beheving  sinner — who  has  God's 
favor,  support,  and  consolation — has  no  reason  to  com- 
plain." As  to  being  sullen  and  desponding,  a  Chris- 
tian will  say,  God  can  help  me  now,  as  well  as  before; 
and  therefore  I  will  now  praise  him. 

Srdly.  God  has  appointed  a  present  silence  to  he  the 
harbinger  of  future  praise.  We  are  often  brought 
into  circumstances  in  which,  if  we  could  command  the 
help  of  the  whole  earth,  the  whole  earth  could  not 
help  us.  But  it  is  the  principle  of  the  true  Christian 
to  say.  Though  human  help  is  vain,  yet  this  one  thing 
w^ill  I  do — I  will  stand  in  silence  :  "  I  wiJl  hear  what 
God  the  Lord  will  speak  :  for  he  will  speak  peace 
unto  his  people,  and  to  his  saints."  Psalm  Ixxxv.  8. 
*'  I  will  stand  upon  my  watch,  and  set  me  upon  the 
tower  ;  and  I  will  watch  to  see  what  he  will  say  unto 
me,  and  what  I  shall  answer  whea  I  am  reproved."  I 
will  submit  ;  I  will  answer,  I  am  a  sinner  ;  but,  as  a 
believing  sinner,  I  will  accept  an  act  of  grace :  I  will 
watch  for  special  direction  :  I  will  expect,  and  wait 
for,  a  gracious  answer  from  him  who  reproves.  Though 
God  will  teach  us  silence  and  patience,  yet  they  who 
wait  for  the  Lord  shall  not  wait  in  vain.  A  believer 
must  never  take  his  eyes  off  from  God  as  his  recon- 
ciled Father  in  Christ  Jesus  :  the  evil  in  his  heart  is 
the  grand  evil  ;  and  it  is  a  blessed  distress  that  brings 
any  in  earnest  to  get  upon  his  watch-tower,  and  there 
wait  in  silence  till  God  shall  open  his  mouth  in  praise. 
See  the  next  Psalm  to  that  from  which  the  text  is 
taken  :  "  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord  ;  and  he  in- 
clined unto  me  and  heard  my  cry.  He  brought  me 
up  also  out  of  an  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay, 
and  set  my  feet  u'pon  a  rock,  and  established  my  go- 
*  The  Rev.  John  Newton.— Ed. 


THE    THORN    IN    THE    FLESH.  29 

ings.  And  he  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth,  even 
praise  unto  our  God  :  many  shall  see  it,  and  fear,  and 
shall  trust  in  the  Lord."  Now,  I  am  no  longer  silent ; 
now  I  can  say,  "  Blessed  is  that  man  that  maketh  the 
Lord  his  trust."  "  He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth, 
bearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again  with 
rejoicmg,  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him."  Psalm 
cxxvi.  6. 


THE  THORN  IN  THE  FLESH. 

For  this  thing  I  besought  the  Lord  thrice,  that  it  might  depart  from  me. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee  :  for  my  strength 
is  made  perfect  in  weakness. — 2  Cor.  xii.  8,  9.  [1804.] 

It  is  a  very  remarkable  thing  that  while  experience 
is  considered  valuable  in  all  common  matters,  it  should 
be  so  slighted  in  matters  of  religion  :  and  the  reason  is, 
that  other  things  are  thought  more  important  than 
religion; 

True  religion  is  a  transaction  between  a  man's  soul 
and  God :  hypocrisy  is  an  affecting  of  this  transaction, 
prepared  for  the  eyes  of  man  :  but  true  religion  is  not 
ostentatious. 

Philosophers  have  always  treated  man  as  they  have 
seen  him — an  afflicted  creature :  but  it  is  not  a  philo- 
sophic account  of  trouble  Which  I  have  to  consider,  but 
a  dispensation  of  trouble.  Trial  is  universal ;  it  be- 
longs to  man,  and  more  especially  to  the  Christian  :  as 
a  man  you  are  born  to  ti'ouble  ;  but  as  a  Christian 
you  have  special  trials  :  there  is  a  universality  of  buf- 
fetings  that  belong  to  the  Christian,  as  such.  There 
was  a  positive  dispensation  of  trial  sent  to  St.  Paul; — 


30  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

not  a  common  course  of  affliction,  but  what  was  sent 
specially  to  him.  We  have  here  the  account  of  his 
painful  "  thorn,"  which  he  calls  "  a  messenger  of  Satan," 
to  buffet  him.  "  For  this  thing,"  says  he,  "  I  besought 
the  Lord  thrice,  that  it  might  depart  from  me."  The 
man  that  is  taught  of  God,  is  taught  to  look  upward, 
while  others  are  looking  about  them.  From  the  words 
of  the  text  we  learn, 

I.  The  necessity  of  affliction. 

II.  The  Apostle's  resource  under  a  painful 
DISPENSATION  :  '^  FoT  tkis  thing  I  besought,'^  &lc. 

III.  The  answer  he  received  :  *'  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee.'^ 

I.  The  necessity  of  affliction. 

While  affliction  is  the  lot  of  man,  affliction  is  also  the 
school  of  man  :  whatever  the  devil  vexeth  us  with,  it  is 
a  school  to  teach  us,  like  Job,  to  abhor  ourselves  in 
dust  and  ashes.  While  we  are  children  at  school, 
there  will  be  particular  exercises :  things  are  intended 
for  the  exercise  of  grace  ;  to  put  us  upon  prayer — to 
make  us  acquainted  with  our  own  hearts — to  humble 
us,  and  preserve  us  from  being  lifted  up.  There  seems 
a  necessity  for  some  trial  or  other,  to  call  faith  into 
exercise.  The  Lord  would  teach  a  poor  dependent 
creature  to  live  upon  him  in  every  thing.  Ev^en  such 
a  man  as  St.  Paul  must  be  taught  his  dependence. 
The  eldest  child  in  God's  house  must  be  tau2;ht  to  live 
upon  God  for  his  favor  and  blessing.  There  is  in 
nature  a  love  of  independence  ;  but  such  as  are  taught 
of  God  will  be  taught  that  they  have  no  stock  of  their 
own;  that  in  their  flesh  dwelleth  no  goodjhing;  that 
how  long  soever  they  may  have  been  in  the  road  to 


THE  THORN  IN  THE  FLESH.  31 

heaven,  they  have  no  stock  to  live  upon  ;  no  habit  of 
grace  that  will  do,  independent  of  fresh  supplies  from 
God  ;  no  elevation  of  character  that  will  raise  them 
above  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  I  do  not  say, 
there  is  no  elevation  by  holiness  of  heart  and  life  in  the 
character  of  the  Christian  ;  but  there  is  no  elevation 
of  character  that  will  supersede  the  necessity  of  abid- 
ino;  in  the  "  True  Vine."  Even  St.  Paul  must  be 
taught,  by  his  trials,  to  despair  of  any  help  within  or 
without  himself,  except  in  Christ.  Christ  relieves  his 
people,  not  by  removing  their  trials,  but  by  affording 
them  supporting  and  sanctifying  grace  under  them,  and 
by  making  a  way  of  escape,  that  they  may  be  able  to 
bear  them.  They  are  not  only  intended  to  produce 
resignation,  but  to  wean  and  mortify  our  inordinate 
affections  :  there  must  be  in  our  hearts  a  certain  degree 
of  what  may  be  called  a  holy  indifference:  we  must 
be  taught  to  treat  flesh  and  blood  as  it  ought  to  be 
treated.  If  it  has  taken  root  in  our  hearts,  it  must  be 
torn  up  again  :  but,  in  order  to  this,  there  must  be  a 
continual  work  of  the  Great  Physician,  there  must  be 
a  dispensation  of  trial.  So  it  was  in  St.  Paul's  case  ; 
there  was  sent  a  "  thorn  in  the  flesh :"  God  acts  like  a 
surgeon,  who  says,  "  This  is  a  particular  case  ;  and,  in 
order  to  cure,  I  must  pierce."  There  is  not  a  creature- 
comfort  upon  earth,  but  if  God  is  pleased  to  make  a 
thorn  of  it  he  can,  and  he  does  do  it :  and  the  reason 
is,  that  faith  may  be  called  into  exercise :  for,  who 
prays  till  he  is  made  to  do  it  ?  who  casts  the  anchor  of 
hope  till  he  is  in  distress  ?  We  must  be  stripped  of 
that  in  which  we  wrap  ourselves  up  :  and  there  must 
be  many  a  sharp  instrument  to  "  circumcise  the  fore- 
skin of  our  hearts,"  and  many  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  to 
awaken  us  to  prayer.  We  would  live  a  life  of  ease : 
nature  seeks  it  at  any  rate ;  it  says,  Let  me  be  quiet — 


32  ORIGINAL    TH0UGHT3. 

let  me  escape  this,  and  that !  The  lancet  is  brought ; 
but  we  would  sooner  die,  at  our  ease,  than  suffer  the 
operation  that  is  intended  for  our  benefit.  We  cry, 
Spare !  and  if  the  Great  Physician  means  to  teach  us 
through  some  creature,  which  acts  like  our  own  de- 
praved character,  by  showing  ill-will  and  hatred,  we 
cry  to  have  it  removed.  But  we  are  to  be  taught, 
first,  who  makes  the  difference.  There  are  thorns  in 
the  flesh,  there  are  distresses  in  the  spirit,  that  will 
often  break  the  spirit.  We  look  to  the  creature,  and 
say,  "  Who  is  there  of  my  friends  that  will  help  me 
under  my  trials  ?"  But  sometimes  the  very  nature  of 
the  case  tells  us  that  it  is  in  vain  to  look  to  the  crea- 
ture for  help :  there  are  troubles  in  which  all  the 
friends  upon  earth,  if  they  would,  could  not  afford  the 
least  assistance.  But  St.  Paul  knew  there  was  One 
that  could  relieve  him,  and  he  knew  that  the  prayer 
of  faith  was  never  unheard,  as  to  the  matter  of  it, 
though  it  might  be  as  to  the  letter  of  it.  Is  there,  at 
this  time,  something  piercing  thee,  distressing  thee  ? 
Are  you  looking  around  and  find  no  helper  ?  Say  so 
no  more  :  while  you  look  around  in  despair,  remember 
Him  who  has  said,  "  Look  unto  me  and  be  saved," — 
which  leads  me  to  consider, 

II.  The  Apostle's  resource  under  his  painful 
DISPENSATION  :  "  I^or  this  thing  I  besought  the  Lord 
thrice ;"  i.  e.  that  I  might  be  delivered  from  it. 

He  that  giveth  in  wrath  often  denies  in  love.  God 
gave  the  murmuring  Israelites  a  king  in  his  wrath :  so 
this  request  of  the  apostle's  was  denied  in  love.  He 
was  to  learn  the  peculiar  suitableness  of  Christ  to  meet 
his  case  :  "  It  became  him,  ibr^^  hom  are  all  things,  and 
by  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto 
glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect 


THE    THORN    IN    THE    FLESH.  33 

through  sufferings  :"  and,  therefore,  because  "  we  have 
such  an  High  Priest,  let  us  come  boldly  to  the  throne 
of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy."  This  was  the 
apostle's  resource  under  his  thorn  in  the  flesh.  I  te!l 
you,  as  though  he  had  said.  This  was  my  resource,  "  I 
besought  the  Lord  thrice,  that  it  might  depart."  How 
natural  !  Who  has  not  felt  this  ?  ''  O,  this  burden 
presses  upon  me  !"  Well,  but  it  may  do  you  good  : — 
"but,  O  that  it  might  be  taken  off!  O  that  this  thorn 
might  depart  from  me  !"  Thus  we  shrink  from  trouble, 
not  considering  the  need,  the  benefit  of  it  !  We  cry, 
"  Spare  me  !  spare  me !  This  trial  is  so  peculiar : 
I  could  bear  any  other  better  !"  Certainly  creatures 
can  do  nothing  :  they  are  but  broken  cisterns :  riches 
and  greatness  can  do  nothing  ; — nothing  in  pain — 
nothing  in  death  :  death  will  not  be  bribed.  See  Hez- 
ekiah.  If  the  message  comes,  "  Thou  shalt  die,  and 
not  live  !"  man  can  do  nothing  !  yet  there  is  something 
that  can  be  done  :  ''  Hezekiah  turned  his  face  to  the 
wall,  and  prayed."  The  first  sign  of  spiritual  life,  and 
the  last  exercise  of  it,  is — prayer.  It  was  well  for 
Jehoshaphat  that  he  knew  where  to  look  in  trouble, 
Jacob  also,  and  David  :  but  Christ  will  consult  his  own 
glory  in  the  manner  of  answering  prayer.  His  grace 
was  to  be  shown  to  be  not  an  idea,  but  a  reality.  That 
is  best  for  a  man  which  keeps  his  soul  near  to  God,  and 
which  teaches  him  his  need  of  watchfulness,  and  the 
necessity  of  keeping  his  armor  on  :  which  leads  me  to 
consider, 

III.  The  ANSWER  which  St.  Paul  received:  ^^ My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee  ;"  as  though  God  should  say, 
I  will  not  take  away  the  thorn,  but  I  will  support  you 
under  it. 

Before  St.  Paul  received  this  comfortable  answer  in 

21* 


34  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

the  text,  the  temptation  in  his  flesh  had  taught  him  to 
pray ; — not  merely  to  use  a  form  of  words,  which  is  a 
very  different  thing  ; — but  it  brought  him  as  a  destitute 
sinner  to  Christ ;  as  able,  and  willing,  and  ready,  to 
help.  Though  the  prayer  of  faith  is  the  great  secret 
of  the  Christian,  and  it  is  in  the  prayerful  use  of  means 
he  may  expect  success,  yet  he  may  not  be  answered  to 
the  letter  of  his  prayers.  The  answer  given  to  St. 
Paul  was  not  in  kind,  but  it  was  something  better, — it 
was  in  kindness.  It  was  as  though  God  should  say, 
"  My  favor  shall  be  exerted  towards  you,  and  my 
power  shall  put  strength  into  you ;  my  favor  is  better 
than  life,  and  my  power  sufficient  to  support  you  under 
the  trial.  If  I  press  you  down  with  one  hand,  I  will 
hold  you  up  with  the  other.  My  grace  being  suffi- 
cient is  a  greater  gift  than  to  remove  the  trial :  and, 
by  and  by,  you  may  see  the  intention  of  it :  and,  more- 
over, the  soldier  is  not  crowned  till  he  has  first  fought 
and  strove  :  therefore  you  shall  be  upheld,  and  bear 
testimony  to  those  younger  than  yourself"  "  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight ;  I  have  kept  the  faith."  Christ's 
grace,  in  this  passage,  is  to  be  taken  in  its  fullest  sense  ; 
not  onh''  free  favor,  but  power;  Christ  would  not  re- 
move the  thorn,  because  he  would  more  fully  manifest 
to  the  apostle  his  all-sufficiency.  No  matter  how  Satan 
shoots  his  fiery  darts,  if  Christ  says.  My  grace  shall 
bear  thee  up — my  grace  is  all-sufficient ;  for  this  will 
sanctify  the  affliction. 

This  text  has  an  allusion  to  that  in  Genesis  xv.  1. 
"  Fear  not,  Abram  :  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thy  exceed- 
ing great  reward  :"  i.  e.  I  am  God  all-sufficient.  So, 
in  the  apostle's  case,  God  seems  to  say,  "  Do  not  be 
cast  down,  as  if  thy  present  case  were  hopeless  :  but 
think  rather,  that  I  am  God  all-sufficient."  There  is 
something  in  the  life  of  faith  that  shall  put  the  world, 


THE  THORN  IN  THE  FLESH.  35 

the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  under  our  feet.  A  Christian 
is  a  man  who,  instead  of  living  upon  outward  tempo- 
rary things,  is  building  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages  ;  and, 
therefore,  safe  :  for  this  is  that  from  which  nothing 
can  separate  him.  This  is  what  St.  Paul  triumphantly 
asks,  in  the  eighth  chapter  to  the  Romans — "  Who 
shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  shall  tribu- 
lation, or  distress,  or  persecution  ?"  No,  nothing  shall ! 
it  is  eternal  union  !  As  Christ  has  taken  hold  of  my 
hand,  and  I  of  his,  he  says  to  me  all  the  way  I  travel 
on,  "Fear  not !"  He  will  take  away  present,  perishing 
objects,  to  give  better  things  ;  to  give  his  own  "  un- 
searchable riches."  We  want  nothing  but  this  :  if 
we  can  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  subject,  and  feel  in 
sympathy  with  the  text,  we  shall  not  be  saying  to  this 
or  that  creature — Come  and  comfort  me  !  or  asking, 
"Who  will  show  me  any  good  ?"  but  we  shall  go  to  the 
all-sufficient  God,  who  says.  My  grace  is  to  he  your 
sufficiency.  With  this  grace,  outward  things  cannot 
sink  us  ;  he  can  lift  us  above  them  all,  whether  painful 
or  pleasant ;  nor  can  they  afford  us  any  real  comfort 
if  we  have  not  this  grace. 

This  passage  seems  to  express  that  God  will  strip  us 
of  every  thing  but  his  grace  :  He  will  reduce  us  to 
Himself.  The  grandeur  of  God's  character  is  not 
sufficient,  nor  his  holiness,  nor  the  gifts  he  bestows: 
but,  when  he  says,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee  " — 
my  favor — "the  good- will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the 
bush  "  shall  be  manifested  towards  thee, — then  man 
feels  it  is  enough  !  That  St.  Paul  should  be  supported 
under  the  thorn — that  he  should  glorify  Christ  by  it — 
this  is  infinitely  more  than  removing  the  thing :  it  is 
the  being  lifted  up  above  it ! 

Some  people  cannot  understand  this,  and  call  it  en- 
thusiasm :  but  God  seems  to  say,  It  shall  be  demon- 


36  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

strated  that  man,  when  he  depends  upon  me,  does  not 
depend  upon  any  outward  thing :  it  shall  be  seen  that 
I  carry  him  and  the  burden  too  !  I  will  lift  him  above 
it :  I  will  sometimes  strip  him,  so  as  to  make  him  feel 
that  I  can  supply  the  loss  of  every  thing.  I  will  take 
away  his  all,  that  I  may  give  something  better  than 
all.  Therefore,  brethren,  seek  the  grace  of  Christ,  and 
you  will  feel  you  have  every  thing.  It  was  said  by 
one,  "  I  am  so  poor,  that  none  but  God  can  help  me  1" 
but  he  who  takes  his  case  to  God,  and  thus  obtains  his 
grace  and  help,  shall  find  he  has  enough. 

Let  me,  in  conclusion,  address  a  few  words  to  Chris- 
tians under  trouble. 

1st.  Learn  from  this  passage  what  I  will  call.  The 
divine  philosophy  of  trying  dispensations.  None  but 
Christians  understand  this.  Learn  to  make  the  most 
of  them,  to  improve  them  :  this  is,  in  Christianity,  ma- 
naging our  accounts.  Practical,  experimental  Chris- 
tianity must  be  learnt  in  extremity.  GoS  is  to  be  met 
in  every  thing ;  and  his  grace  is  the  only  thing  to  be 
secured.  St.  Paul's  is  no  strange  case  :  it  is  a  beaten 
path  :  it  is  a  common  case.  If  we  have  not  this  pecu- 
liar thorn,  yet  we  all  have  one  thing  or  another :  see 
Abraham,  Jacob,  and  others  had  them, — and  have  not 
we  ?  God  alone  sends  these  things  ;  and  he  alone  can 
sanctify  them.     A  poet  could  say, 

"  Sweet  are  the  uses  of  adversity." 

but  St.  Paul  explains  this  : — "  For  whom  the  Lord 
loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom 
he  receiveth." 

2ndly.  Learn  the  holy  simplicity  of  faith.  The  apos- 
tle went,  as  a  little  child,  to  Christ ;  believing  he  was 
able  to  do  more  than  he  could  ask  or  think.  There 
are  few  but  know  what  it  is  to  be  brought  into  diffi- 


THE    THORN    IN    THE    FLESH.  37 

culties  :  but,  for  God  to  stretch  out  his  right  hand,  we 
must  simply  take  the  matter  to  him,  and,  with  a  holy 
simplicity  of  faith,  put  the  whole  of  our  case  into  his 
hands.  It  is  true,  there  may  be  something  in  our 
family,  and  in  our  hearts,  that  may  be  well  called  "  a 
thorn  in  the  flesh  :"  it  may  be  indescribable  to  man  : 
no  matter :  it  is  describable  to  God  !  You  may  be  like 
David,  having  nothing  to  rest  upon — nothing  but  waves 
and  billows  going  over  you :  but,  in  this,  and  all  such 
cases,  St.  Paul  gives  us  a  lesson  :  it  was  enough  for 
him  that  he  was  bid  to  cast  his  burden  on  the  Lord. 

Some  people  stand  confounded  or  perplexed  at  the 
mysterious  motions  of  the  wheels  of  Providence.  The 
stoutest  heart  is  sometimes  alarmed  in  contemplating 
them :  "  They  were  so  high,  that  they  were  dreadful." 
But  faith  looks  to  him  in  whose  hands  the  wheels,  and 
their  motions,  are :  it  does  not  examine  the  wheels  (we 
have  no  eyes  to  look  upon  them)  :  it  looks  to  the  Great 
Mechanic.  It  would  be  a  surer  and  a  shorter  way,  to 
turn  our  eyes  from  the  wheels,  the  height  of  which  may 
confound,  and  do  as  St.  Paul  did — turn  our  eyes  to 
Christ :  that  is  the  safest  way :  "  For  this  thing  I  be- 
sought the  Lord  thrice,"  and  he  gave  me  an  answer : 
and,  depend  upon  it,  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  be  an- 
swered. 

Srdly.  You  have  here  a  holy  consecrated  antidote  to 
despondency.  The  true  secret  of  a  Christian  is,  to  cast 
his  burden  on  the  Lord.  There  are  many  antidotes 
proposed  by  the  world  ;  the  house  of  mirth — business — 
human  courage — pride,  &c.  But  these  are  not  con- 
secrated. St.  Paul  has  shown  what  this  consecrated 
antidote  will  do  for  a  man  :  I  speak  to  the  man  that 
has  found  nothing  in  the  world,  in  his  family,  or  in  his 
own  heart,  to  comfort  him — who  can  get  no  S3'mpathy. 
I  say — St.  Paul  stands  up  to-night  as  a  preacher  to  you, 


38  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  may  God  enable  you  to  listen !  There  iS  not  only 
the  lesson  of  affliction — that  painful  lesson — but  there 
is  also  the  evangelical  lesson  of  the  antidote  :  this  is 
the  peculiar  lesson  of  the  saint ;  who  is  taught,  like 
Hezekiah,  to  turn  his  face  to  the  wall,  and  pray  ;  and 
like  St.  Paul,  to  take  his  case  to  God. 

But  there  may  be  some  present  who  feel  no  interest 
in  this  discourse.  Some  young  man,  rejoicing  in  the 
days  of  his  youth,  and  letting  his  heart  cheer  him.  He 
may  be  ready  to  say,  You  speak  about  some  painful 
thorn,  but  I  have  none.  I  would,  however,  ask  one 
question, — What  may  be  the  reason  of  this  ?  Did  you 
ever  read  of  "  the  strong  man  armed,  keeping  his  goods 
in  peace  ?"  Our  Lord  speaks  of  this  as  descriptive  of 
the  government  and  empire  of  Satan.  Do  you  call  it 
happiness  to  be  like  a  felon,  full  of  levity  and  trifling, 
going  to  be  executed  ?  But,  do  you  say,  you  have  no 
*'  thorn  in  the  flesh," — no  painful  trial  ?  I  do  not  read 
that  Demas  had  any  ;  theretore,  he  loved  the  present 
world,  and  the  world  him  :  but  do  you  call  him  happy  1 
Esau  did  not  halt  like  Jacob  :  but  was  he  happier  than 
Jacob  ?  Certainly,  we  cannot  comfort  you  from  the 
twelfth  chapter  to  the  Hebrews,  where  St,  Paul  says, 
*'  Whom  the  Lord  loveth,  he  chasteneth."  We  are 
commanded  to  say  to  the  righteous — though  tried, 
tempted,  afflicted — *'  it  shall  be  well  with  him  :"  but, 
"  Woe  to  the  wicked  ;  it  shall  be  ill  with  him."  For 
the  day  is  coming,  when  "  all  the  proud,  yea,  and  all 
that  do  wickedly,  shall  be  stubble  :  and  the  day  that 
cometh  shall  burn  them  up,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
that  it  shall  leave  them  neither  root  nor  branch." 
Mai.  iv.  1. 

Finally,  If  we  have  a  heavenly  science  to  learn,  and 
a  journey  to  pursue,  let  us  patiently  take  the  steps  to 
accomplish  it.     The  highest  state  we  can  attain  is,  to 


THE    DAY    OF    TROUBLE.  39 

honor  Christ  under  a  sense  of  our  own  entire  weakness. 
This  the  apostle  did  by  continuing  to  endure.  In  the 
verse  following  the  text,  we  see  him  glorying  in  the 
effects  of  Christ's  strength  imparted  to  him :  "  There- 
fore I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in 
necessities,  in  persecutions  for  Christ's  sake  :  for  when 
I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong."  Heavenly  attainments 
are  the  lifting  up  of  a  man.  Here  we  behold  the  great- 
est magnanimity  of  mind  with  the  greatest  poverty  of 
spirit.  If  we  would  distinguish  between  the  "poor  in 
spirit "  and  a  poor^  spirited  man,  let  us  look  at  St.  Paul ! 
St.  Paul  was  lifted  up  when  he  was  taught  to  say, 
"  When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong."  And  who  was 
this  ?  A  man  whose  rage  had  persecuted  all  that  were 
"  poor  in  spirit,"  and  who  sought  to  destroy  them ! 
What  a  triumph  of  divine  grace  is  here  ! 


r\/^^r\r./>sny 


THE  DAY  OF  TROUBLE. 

Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble  :  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
glorify  me.— Psalm  1.  15.  [1796.] 

There  is  a  maxim  in  divinity  by  which  we  must 
ever  abide  :  namely,  that  as  creatures  we  are  bound 
to  obey  the  will  of  God  ;  and  yet,  that  of  ourselves  we 
can  do  nothing.  If  this  bring  trouble  upon  our  minds 
because  we  cannot  do  what  we  are  commanded,  then 
let  us  ask  help  of  him  who  has  promised  to  give  his 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  seek  it.  And  if  you  can 
have  help  for  seeking,  why  should  you  complain  be- 
cause, of  yourselves,  you  cannot  do  any  thing  ? 

There  is  here  given  us  a  command,  and  a  promise. 


40  ORIGINAL    THOUGH'rS. 

I.  A  Command  :  "  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trou- 
hle.""  It  is  your  duty  to  obey  as  creatures  ;  and  as 
needy  and  guilty  creatures,  it  is  your  privilege  to  do  so. 

"  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble  :"  you  have  a 
warrant  to  come  at  all  times,  but  more  especially  in 
the  time  of  trouble :  which  signifies,  generally,  a  time 
of  particular  trial  or  visitation,  like  that  of  Job ;  or  of 
suspense,  like  that  of  Moses,  when  the  people  wanted 
to  turn  back  into  Egypt ;  or,  a  time  when  God  seems 
to  withdraw  that  help  which  he  gave  us  reason  to  ex- 
pect. Trouble  is  sometimes  so  sharp  and  secret,  that 
a  man  cannot  describe  it  to  any  but  God ;  like  that  of 
David,  (2  Sam.  xii.)  When  he  fasted,  and  prayed, 
and  lay  all  night  upon  the  earth,  the  people  thought  it 
was  his  sorrow  for  the  child  :  but  it  was  a  complicated 
affair ;  there  was  guilt  in  the  cup. 

"  Call  upon  ME  in  the  day  of  trouble."  Luther  said 
he  never  understood  the  Book  of  Psalms  till  he  was 
in  trouble.  There  are  troubles  that  none  but  God  can 
help  us  under.  The  efforts  of  friends,  in  some  cases, 
prove  only  an  aggravation  of  grief. 

II.  The  Pro3ii3e  :  "  /  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou 
shah  glorify  me." 

The  Scripture  is  full  of  facts  that  prove  what  may 
be  called  the  omnipotence  of  prayer.  Prayer  is  om- 
nipotent, as  it  takes  hold  of  the  hand  of  God.  Haman, 
being  not  a  man  of  prayer,  fell  down  from  the  highest 
pinnacle  :  but  Esther,  who  knew  where  her  true  re- 
source lay,  saved  herself  and  her  whole  nation.  If 
the  believer  can  bring  God  near  to  him,  as  *'  a  very 
present  help  in  time  of  trouble,"  he  has  accomplished 
every  thing :  he  has  then  done  with  difficulties.  We 
read  of  an  afflicted  believer  coming  and  bringing  his 


THE    DAY    OF    TROUBLE.  41 

child  to  Christ,  Mark  ix.  17  :  trouble  had  got  into  his 
house,  and  pierced  his  heart.  His  faith  is  weak,  but 
he  makes  the  effort ;  he  says,  "  If  thou  canst  do  any 
thing ;"  Jesus  said,  "  If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth." 

"  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me." 
God  is  glorified  when  his  perfections  are  exhibited  and 
acknowledged  :  when  we  say,  Difficulties  are  nothing  ; 
all  things  are  in  his  hand.  The  history  of  Asa,  and 
of  Hezekiah,  exemplify  this.  They  manifested  their 
dependence  upon  a  character  that  was  worthy  to  be 
trusted.  This  is  to  glorify  him  :  this  is  to  treat  him 
as  God  :  a  solitary,  praying  Christian,  glorifies  God. 

None  of  us  sufficiently  honor  Jesus  Christ,  by  say- 
ing,— "  While  I  am  praying.  He  is  conducting  the 
'  wheels  full  of  eyes'  with  reference  to  we."  But,  is 
not  this  presumption  ?  I  answer.  That  is  not  presump- 
tion which  is  founded  on  God's  word.  Jeremiah  was 
put  into  a  miry  pit :  but  he  knew  there  was  a  way  to 
God  even  through  it :  and  while  men  were  working 
below  upon  earth,  God  was  working  from  above.  So 
in  the  history  of  Joseph. 

Let  every  one  know,  that  when  he  is  laid  upon  a  bed 
of  sickness,  and  has  thereby  had  a  prayer  wrung  out  of 
him,  that  God  is  in  this  thing.  He  is  saying,  "Call 
upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble."  Whatever  discour- 
agements, clogs,  and  hindrances  we  find — however  our 
minds  may  be  entangled  and  occupied,  still  let  us  be 
steadfast  in  the  principle  which  we  have  found  to  be  the 
golden  key  that  opens  the  treasure-house, — and  which 
we  have  found  to  be  the  true  weapon  against  our  spir- 
itual enemies.  Though  temptations  surround  us,  and 
sometimes  our  backslidino-s  distress  us,  vet,  let  us  re- 
member  that  God  has  said,  "Call  upon  me  in  the  day 
of  trouble  ;  so  will  I  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify 


42  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

me."  The  prophet  Jonah  stands  as  an  example  to  us 
in  this  respect :  "  Then  I  said,  I  am  cast  out  of  thy 
sight ;  yet  I  will  look  again  toward  thy  holy  temple." 

My  dear  hearers,  you  cannot  be  reminded  too  often, 
that  there  is  not  a  single  particle  of  good,  not  one  drop 
of  real  comfort  and  happiness,  but  what  proceeds  from 
God.  Every  thing  has  just  so  much  good  in  it  as  he 
infuses, — and  no  more.  Bereavements,  of  near  and 
dear  connections  in  life,  are  some  of  the  best  expound- 
ers of  the  Bible :  they  explain  it  to  the  heart.  The 
Christian,  in  such  cases,  feels  that  he  has  lost  his  best 
earthly  comforts,  and  is  constrained,  with  greater  ear- 
nestness than  ever,  to  draw  nigh  to  God:  and  thus, 
heavenly  comforts  are  poured  into  his  soul.  A  man 
may  enjoy  the  goods  of  Providence  ;  but  he  must  not 
make  them  \\\s  gods;  his  heart  must  not  go  out  after 
them. 

If  any  trial,  if  any  temptation  or  duty  lies  before  us, 
the  Gospel  contains  promises  and  assistances  sufficient 
for  our  support.  A  believer,  therefore,  need  not  be 
afraid  :  let  him  meet  his  difficulties  like  a  man :  or 
rather,  I  should  say,  let  him  meet  them  like  a  Christian, 
"strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  We  do 
not  give  Christ  half  trust  enough.  The  waters  of 
Jordan  were  divided,  w^hen  the  time  came  for  passing 
over.  The  moment  we  come  in  contact  with  the  dif- 
ficulty, it  shall  vanish.  O  that  in  every  step  we  take 
in  life,  we  could  seek  God  first  by  prayer  !  being  taught 
by  dependence  never  to  say, — This,  or  that,  is  too 
hard  !  The  true  posture  of  poor  feeble  worms  such  as 
we  are,  is  to  relinquish  the  language  of  sense,  and,  like 
Abraham,  when  he  oflered  up  Isaac,  to  lean  upon  the 
promises  of  God. 

In  the  day  of  trouble,  take  heed  of  the^temptation, 
■which  the  devil  always  presents,  that  nothing  can  be 


THE    DAY    OF    TROUBLE.  43 

done.  Take  heed  of  unbelief.  God  does  not  always 
afford  particular  light  till  we  are  just  about  to  take  a 
step  that  needs  it.  It  is  no  doubtful  case  whether  God 
can  help  us  ;  nor  ought  it  to  be  any  doubtful  case,  after 
what  he  has  done,  whether  he  will  help  us. 

We  must  take  care  to  keep  in  the  path  of  duty :  see 
Joshua  vii.  10,  11.  The  Lord  said  unto  Joshua,  "Get 
thee  up,  wherefore  liest  thou  thus  upon  thy  face  ?  Israel 
hath  sinned,  and  they  have  also  transgressed  my  cove- 
nant which  I  commanded  them :  for  they  have  even 
taken  of  the  accursed  thing ;"  ....*'  Therefore  the 
children  of  Israel  could  not  stand  before  their  enemies," 
i.  e.  because  I  am  not  on  their  side.  "  For  the  eyes  of 
the  Lord  run  to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole  earth,  to 
show  himself  strong  in  the  behalf  of  them  whose  heart 
is  perfect  toward  him."  2  Chron.  xvi.  9. 

Learn  to  stir  up  your  own  hearts  to  the  continual 
remembrance  of  all  known  duty,  and  received  truths  ; 
and  also  recollect  your  former  experiences  of  help  and 
deliverance  in  times  of  affliction  and  temptation ;  and 
say  with  David,  "  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul  ?  hope  thou  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him." 

In  the  world's  eye,  that  man  is  the  wisest  who  has 
the  most  expedients.  But  the  believer  is  taught  far 
differently :  he  runs  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  gets, 
like  Habakkuk,  upon  his  watch-tower.  He  goes  to 
God  with  the  promise  in  his  hand,  as  one  goes  to  the 
bank  for  payment,  saying, — This  has  been  by  me  for 
some  time,  but  now  it  is  due :  thou  saidst,  "  Call  upon 
me  in  the  time  of  trouble,  and  I  will  deliver  thee." 

God  is  glorified  by  our  faith  and  patience  in  our 
trouble,  as  well  as  in  bringing  us  through  it.  "A 
friend  in  need  is  a  friend  indeed." 


44  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


EESOURCE  IN  TKOUBLE. 

Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  sustain  thee  :  he  shall 
never  suffer  the  righteous  to  be  moved. — Psalm  Iv,  22.       [1 796] 

There  is  a  distinction  between  human  learning  and 
divine.  In  human  things,  the  opinions  of  the  learned 
in  one  age,  are  different  from  the  opinions  of  the  learned 
in  another  age ;  but  in  divine  learning,  this  is  not  the 
case.  There  is  "  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism, 
one  God  and  Father  of  all,  v^^ho  is  above  all,  and  through 
all,  and  in  you  all."  Eph.  iv.  5,  6.  God's  children  are 
all  taught  the  same  lesson,  bear  the  same  testimony, 
tread  in  the  same  steps. 

But  who  are  the  persons  to  whom  these  words  are 
addressed  ?  They  are  the  righteous,  i.  e.  persons  rest- 
ing on  the  atonement ;  being  justified  by  faith,  they 
have  peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
They  are  renewed  and  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  are  enabled  "to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly,  in  this  present  evil  world."  But  while  they  do 
this,  God  has  never  told  them  thev  should  have  no 
trouble,  no  cross,  no  burden,  no  anxiety ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  he  tells  them  they  shall :  for  "  all  that  will 
live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution." 
But  while  they  have  their  trouble,  they  are  directed 
what  to  do  with  it.     They  have — 

I.  A  CHARGE  GIVEN  THEM  I  "  Cast  till/  hurdeii  upon 
the  Lorciy 

II.  A  PROMISE  GIVEN  THEM:  ''and  he  shall  sustain 
thee:' 

I.  This  CHARGE  is  the  same  as  that  in  1  Peter  v.  7. 
"Casting  all  your  care  upon  him;  for  he  careth  for 
you."     Also,  that  given  by  our  Lord,  Matt.  vi.  25 — 34 : 


RESOURCE    IN    TROUBLE.  45 

"  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  take  no  thought  for  your 
life/'  And  Luke  xii.  22 — 32:  "Consider  the  hUes, 
how  they  grow."  The  Scriptures  not  only  give  us  the 
charge,  but  set  before  us  examples  of  those  who  acted 
upon  it. 

"  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord :"  whether  it  be  the 
burden  of  guilt,  like  that  of  David,  Psalm  li ;  and  Peter, 
Matt.  xxvi.  75 ;  or  the  burden  of  overwhelming  care, 
Gen.  xxxi.  13  ;  or  the  burden  of  fear,  like  that  of  Jacob, 
Gen.  xxxii.  9 — 11 ;  of  danger,  like  that  of  Hezekiah, 
Isa.  xxxvii.  15  ;  and  of  Asa,  2  Chron.  xiv.  11.  Whether 
it  be  a  peculiar  temptation,  like  that  of  St.  Paul,  2  Cor. 
xii.  8 — 10  ;  or  some  special  visitation  from  God,  like 
the  sickness  of  Hezekiah,  2  Kings  xx.  1 — 6  ;  or  if  it 
be  the  burden  of  an  ungovernable  imagination.  If  the 
imagination  be  burdened,  life  is  imbittered,  and  one 
sits  like  a  sparrow  upon  the  house-top :  but  whatever 
it  be,  if  it  be  a  burden,  and  we  are  groaning  under  it 
as  such — if  our  life  is  imbittered  thereby — and  though 
others  may  think  lightly  of  it,  yet  if  our  shoulders  are 
oppressed  by  it — we  are  invited  to  cast  it  upon  the 
Lord,  with  the  assurance,  "  he  shall  sustain  thee."  He 
will  bear  thee  up  in  his  arms,  "  lest  at  any  time  thou 
dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone."  This  leads  me  to 
consider, 

IL  The  promise  given  :  "  He  shall  sustain  thee  ;  he 
shall  never  suffer  the  righteous  to  he  moved." 

Unbelieving  thoughts  will  make  a  man  ready  to 
stumble.  One  that  has  a  burden  on  his  back,  can 
hardly  step  at  all :  but  if  a  stumbling-block  be  put  in 
his  way,  it  will  be  much  more  dangerous  for  him.  God 
does  not  promise  to  take  off  the  load,  but  he  promises 
to  sustain  us  under  it.  We  must  take  the  cordials  of 
God's  word  as  well  as  the  precepts :  we  need  the  prom- 


46  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

ises  to  encourage  us.  Let  us  remember,  that  none  of 
us  has  any  burden  but  what  God  has  put  on  our  backs., 
and  he  alone  can  make  it  easy :  "  He  shall  sustain 
thee."  Throughout  the  Scriptures  we  are  told  what 
the  people  of  God  did  with  their  several  burdens,  that 
we  may  know  what  to  do  with  ours.     Psa.  xxxvii.  5 — 7. 

"  He  shall  sustain  thee,"  or  hold  thee  up.  How  was 
Elijah  sustained,  when  fleeing  before  Jezebel  ?  (See 
1  Kings  xix.  5 — 8.)  How  comfortable  is  St.  Paul's 
account  of  his  support  under  his  spiritual  temptation, 
or  infirmity;  (2  Cor.  xii.  8 — 10.)  and  the  martyrs, 
each  of  whom  had  his  burden ;  but  we  find  that  they 
never  stood  up  so  well,  as  when  the  burden  seemed  to 
lie  the  heaviest  upon  their  backs.  Their  shoes  were 
iron  and  brass ;  and  as  their  day,  so  was  their  strength  ; 
for  the  Lord  sustained  them :  "  He  will  never  suffer  the 
righteous  to  be  moved."  He  does  not  say,  he  will 
never  suffer  them  to  be  alarmed  ;  they  may  be  shaken, 
but  they  shall  not  be  mOved  :  they  shall  not  be  moved 
from  the  foundation  upon  which  they  stand  :  they  have 
cried  to  the  Lord,  and  he  has  placed  them  on  a  rock, 
against  which  the  gates  of  hell  shall  never  prevail :  they 
shall  never  be  moved  from  their  lot :  (Psalm  xvi.  5, — 
cxxv.  3  ; — Dan.  xii.  13.)  they  shall  not  be  swept  away: 
they  shall  not  be  confounded.  Psalm  Ixix.  6.  There- 
fore David's  resolution  should  be  ours  :  "  What  time  I 
am  afraid,  I  will  trust  in  thee."  Psalm  Ivi.  3.  Instead 
of  repining  under  our  burdens,  let  us  cast  them  upon 
the  Lord ;  and  let  us  ask  how  we  came  by  them. 
Trouble  is  the  only  thing  the  Lord  has  promised  to  his 
children,  without  prayer. 

We  are  commanded  to  cast  our  burdens  on  the  Lord, 
acknowledging  that  he  only  can  bring  us  out  of  trou- 
ble. How  sadly  deceitful,  and  how  condemned,  is 
every  other  refuge  !     "  When  Ephraim  saw  his  sick- 


RESOURCE    IN    TROUBLE.  47 

ness,  and  Judah  saw  his  wound,  then  went  Ephraim  to 
the  Assyrian,  and  sent  to  king"  Jareb :  yet  could  he  not 
heal  you,  nor  cure  you  of  your  wound."    Hosea  v.  13. 

What  we  know,  we  must  know  by  believing  God's 
word  ;  and  this  word,  which  gives  us  the  direction,  is 
the  act  and  the  deed  of  God,  sealed  bv  the  blood  of 
Christ.  He  has  told  us  to  take  no  anxious  care :  he 
has  sent  us  to  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  to  the  lilies  of 
the  field,  for  instruction.  Let  us  leave  the  heathens  to 
groan  under  their  burdens — to  take  anxious  care  for 
the  morrow — who  have  not  got  our  resources. 

God  makes  burdens  excellent  commentators  on  the 
word  :  the  burden  sending  us  to  the  word,  and  the 
word  sending  us  to  God,  and  directing  us  what  to  do 
with  our  burdens.  Do  not  make  your  burdens  heavier 
by  conjecture  ;  but  read  your  charter,  and  pray  over 
it.  The  Church  is  a  "  vineyard  ;"  and  has  no  less 
benefit  from  cloudy  dnys  than  from  sunny  days. 

However  the  believer  is  torn,  however  tempted, 
however  buffeted  or  assaulted,  he  shall  not  be  "  moved." 
He  has  an  anchor  for  the  worst  storms  that  ever  fell 
upon  the  universe.  His  relief,  his  hope,  his  profession, 
differs  from  that  of  any  other  individual  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth.  "  Trouble  and  anguish  have  taken  hold 
of  me,"  says  David,  "  yet  thy  commandments  are  my 
delights."  The  Psalmist  found  firm  solid  rock  to  keep 
him  up  through  all. 

Have  you  ever  fled  to  Christ  ?  There  is  no  refuge 
for  the  hypocrite.  The  "  righteous"  referred  to  in  the 
text,  are,  in  other  parts  of  Scripture,  called  "  saints" — 
'separate  from  the  world — the  "  faithful" — the  "  called  :" 
they  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  faith  :  they  look  unto 
him  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  mourn.  God  counts 
them  righteous.  What  a  privilege  is  granted  to  such ! 
Eyes  to  overlook,  hands  to  direct  all  their  concerns ! 


48  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Your  heavenly  Father  knows  your  need  :  none  are 
left  without  resource.  Mary  cast  her  eyes  into  the 
sepulchre  :  Hannah,  to  the  Lord.  However  burdened, 
let  us  still  hold  fast  the  heavenly  charter :  let  us  tell 
God  that  we  cannot  cast  our  burdens  on  him  without 
his  help.  All  who  obey  this  direction  will  experience 
God's  faithfulness  :  "  They  looked  unto  him,  and  were 
lightened  :  and  their  faces  were  not  ashamed.  This 
poor  man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  him,  and  saved 
him  out  of  all  his  troubles." 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT. 

But  none  saith,  Where  is  God  my  maker,  who  giveth  songs  in  the 

night  ?— Job.  xxxv.  10.  [1799.] 

We  are  induced,  from  the  enormity  of  certain 
crimes,  to  rejoice  when  they  meet  w^ith  punishment : 
but  few  consider  the  grand  crime  which  proceeds  from 
practical  Atheism.  In  the  midst  of  the  trials  and  dis- 
quietude to  which  flesh  is  heir,  none,  comparatively, 
saith,  "  Where  is  God  my  maker,  w^ho  giveth  songs  in 
the  night  ?"  See  verse  9.  The  cry  is,  there  is  noth- 
ing but  oppression  and  affliction :  "  by  reason  of  the 
multitude  of  oppressions  they  make  the  oppressed  to 
cry  :  they  cry  out  by  reason  of  the  arm  of  the  mighty." 
But  this  is  not  the  greatest  evil :  what  then  is  it  ? 
Elihu  complains,  that  in  the  midst  of  all  this,  there  is 
none  saith,  *' Where  is  God  mv  maker?"  Let  me 
lead  your  attention  to  this  subject,  by  considering, 


I.  That  He  who  made  man  can  alone  truly  com- 
fort HIM,  AND  GIVE  HIM  SONGS  IN  THE  NUSHT. 


SONGS    IN    THE    NIGHT.  49 

II.  That  God  frequently  brings  man  into  the 

NIGHT  OF  AFFLICTION  IN  ORDER  TO  DEMONSTRATE  HIS 
POWER  TO  LIFT  HIM  ABOVE  IT,  AND  TO  GIVE  HIM  OPPOR- 
TUNITY TO   ACKNOWLEDGE  HiM. 

I.  Let  US  think  of  God,  as  the  true  and  only  com- 
forter IN  sorrow.  Whatever  our  circumstances  are, 
whether  prosperous  or  adverse,  God  has  assigned  them 
to  us  ;  and  we  should  remember,  that  while  he  has  as- 
signed to  us  our  work,  and  our  trials,  he  is  not  regard- 
less of  us  ;  he  is  our  onlv  comforter.  We  can  never 
come  near  the  seat  of  the  Divine  Governor ;  but  we 
must  not  lose  the  Friend  in  the  Governor.  Who  can 
abide  his  anger  ?  True  ;  yet  "  the  Lord  is  good,  a 
stronghold  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  he  knoweth  them 
that  trust  in  him ;"  (Nahum  i.  7.)  i.  e.  While  God  is 
chastizing  the  world,  and  proves  his  dominion  and  uni- 
versal power,  he  looks  down  to  a  poor  broken  reed,  and 
says,  "  Lean  on  me  :"  I  am  not  more  to  be  feared  than 
loved  :  if  I  bring  a  night,  I  can  give  you  *'  songs  in  the 
night." 

"  He  giveth  songs  :"  i.  e.  he  giveth  matter  for  a  song 
— a  song  of  praise — a  song  of  joy — a  song  of  triumph. 
If  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life,"  he  teaches  his  chil- 
dren to  sing,  even  in  the  fires,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  :" 
he  gives  his  Spirit  to  guide  us  to  the  light :  he  has  given 
us  matter  for  songs,  to  comfort,  exhilarate,  and  cheer 
us  through  the  dark  night  of  affliction :  and  he  gives 
us  ability  to  sing  them.  He  could  enable  Stephen,  when 
he  was  stoned,  to  look  up  steadfastly  into  heaven  and 
see  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  at  the  right 
hand  of  God.  Hezekiah,  when  he  received  the  mes- 
sage, "  Thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live,'*  could  turn  his 

3 


50  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

face  to  the  wall,  and  speak  to  God  as  a  Father,  and  a 
Friend.  When  he  takes  all  creature  comforts  away, 
the  Christian  says,  There  is  enough  left :  my  main  com- 
fort is  not  touched :  take  all  in  this  world  away,  there 
is  matter  enough  left  for  a  song  !  See  Paul  and  Silas 
in  the  prison,  praying  and  singing  praises  to  God ! 
Who  in  this  place  needs  to  be  told  of  the  dark  and 
stormy  nights  that  the  Martyrs  weathered,  singing  their 
songs  in  dungeons,  and  at  the  stake !  For  there  are 
times  when  a  man  is  pressed  beyond  measure,  and 
there  is  nothing  left  him  but  the  truths  of  the  Gospel. 
The  prophet  Habakkuk  understood  this,  when  he  said, 
"  Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall 
fruit  be  in  the  vines ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail, 
and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  yet  I  will  rejoice  in 
the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation."  Spir- 
itual comforts  are  real  and  permanent. 

The  believer  delights  to  think  upon  God  in  the  night- 
season,  when  all  is  quiet  and  peaceable,  "  Commune  with 
your  own  heart  upon  your  bed,  and  be  still." — Psalm  iv. 
God's  name  is  also  his  solace  in  the  night  of  affliction  :  "  I 
have  remembered  thy  name,  O  Lord,  in  the  night,"  says 
David,  '*and  have  kept  thy  law."  The  best  discovery 
That  God  has  made  to  us  of  his  name  is  in  Christ : 
therefore  we  should  seek  a  more  intimate  knowledge 
of  Him,  and  should  make  a  gracious  use  of  what  is 
thus  discovered. 

There  cannot  be  a  greater  mistake  than  the  miser- 
able idea,  which  some  have  taken  up,  that  religion  leads 
to  melancholy — that  it  is  the  death  of  comfort.  The 
poorest  and  most  afflicted  Christian  knows  how  great 
a  mistake  this  is  :  and  that,  in  his  darkest  hours,  God 
has  given  him  reason  to  set  his  seal  to  the  truth  of  the 
text.  What  says  St.  Peter  ?  "  Blessed  be  the  God  and 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which,* according  to 


SONGS    IN    THE    NIGHT.  51 

his  abundant  mercy,  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a 
lively  hope  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from 
the  dead."  The  man  that  is  the  partaker  of  "  a  lively 
hope"  is  not  the  subject  of  melancholy  ;  therefore  the 
Apostle  continues,  "  wherein  ye  greatly  rejoice,  though 
now  for  a  season,  if  need  be,  ye  are  in  heaviness 
through  manifold  temptations  :''  which  leads  me  to  con- 
sider, 

II.    That  God   FREauENTLY  brings  man  into  the 

NIGHT  OF  AFFLICTION  IN  ORDER  TO  DEMONSTRATE  HIS 
POWER  TO  LIFT  HIM  ABOVE  IT,  AND  TO  GIVE  HIM  OPPOR- 
TUNITY TO  ACKNOWLEDGE  HiM. 

The  skill  of  the  mariner  is  best  known  in  the  storm. 
If  God  gives  faith,  I  wonder  not  that  he  tries  it.  God, 
as  the  Maker,  might  demand  to  be  glorified ;  and  his 
authority  as  the  Governor  might  exact  it.  But  the 
Friend  calls  for  it.  "  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble  ; 
I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me :"  I  will 
give  thee  a  song,  and,  thou  shalt  demonstrate  that  I  am 
thy  all-sufficient  Friend. 

"Where,"  says  one,  "does  this  man  obtain  his  songs 
in  the  night?  I  have  nothing  but  bowlings,  and  mis- 
givings; but  this  man  has  songs!"  Read  the  107th 
Psalm,  and  we  shall  find  who  it  is  that  can  turn  mourn- 
ing into  joy.  '•  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord 
for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the 
children  of  men !  For  he  satisfieth  the  longing  soul, 
and  filleth  the  hungry  soul  with  goodness." 

To  bring  us  back  to  Him  from  whom  we  have  wan- 
dered, is  the  design  of  God  in  all  his  dispensations,  in 
all  his  ordinances,  and  appointments :  and  the  grand 
design  of  Satan  is  to  prevent  this  return ;  to  bar  and 
bolt  the  door  of  access  ;  to  occupy,  to  dazzle,  to  stupefy, 
to  separate.     Now,  if  this  be  the  grand  design  of  our 


52  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

implacable  enemy,  then,  let  me  ask,  how  salutary,  how 
gracious  is  God,  to  determine  that  we  should  be  led, 
however  unwillingly,  to  meet  the  night,  and  the  storm ; 
the  man  should  then  ask  himself,  when  he  communes 
with  his  own  heart — What  says  God  to  me?  The 
night  has  its  teaching  :  what  is  the  lesson  ?  He  is  pre- 
senting- to  me  the  secret  chamber !  and  for  this  reason, 
that  what  I  could  not  hear  in  the  day,  I  might  hear  in 
the  night. 

I  speak  to  the  man  who  is  at  ease  ;  to  one  who  is  in 
the  possession  of  wealth  and  influence  :  do  you  ask, 
who  is  happier  than  you  ?  The  man  that  has  "  songs 
in  the  night !"  The  night  will  come  to  you ;  but  are 
you  prepared  ?  What  a  deep  depravity  is  perceived 
in  fallen  man,  in  that,  even  in  the  night  of  adversity, 
he  is  indisposed  to  say,  "Where  is  God  my  maker?" 
Even  the  oppressed,  though  they  cry  out  by  reason  of 
the  arm  of  the  mighty,  yet  "  none  saith,  Where  is  God 
my  maker,  who  giveth  songs  in  the  night  ?"  At  such 
a  time,  one  would  suppose  they  would  naturally  turn  to 
their  Maker,  and  Benefactor  ;  and  yet,  it  is  nothing 
uncommon  to  be  observed,  that  if  you  go  into  the 
abodes  of  misery  and  wretchedness — nay,  even  to  the 
cells  of  those  about  to  be  executed,  man  appears  sullen, 
when  you  come  with  no  other  proposal  than  the  favor 
of  God  ! 

The  night  of  affliction  is  a  time  that  very  much 
brings  out  the  character.  The  child  who  is  under  a 
father's  protecting  wing,  is  in  the  habit  of  fleeing  to  it : 
in  any  danger  or  disquiet,  he  says,  "  I  will  go  to  my 
father!"  Thus  the  Christian  :  he  knows  he  has  a  kind 
and  tender  Father  ;  and  if  any  storm  threatens  him,  he 
runs  to  God  for  shelter  :  "What  time  I  am  afraid,"  says 
David,  "  I  will  trust  in  thee."  Who  is  there  that  does 
not  know  this  time  ?     There  are  special  occasions  of 


SONGS    IN    THE    NIGHT.  '  53 

fear,  as  in  a  time  of  persecution ;  or  when  under  vio- 
lent assaults  of  the  enemy  of  souls — suggestions,  cor- 
ruptions ;  or  when  threatening  providences  hang  over 
us.  Sometimes  our  way  before  us  seems  difficult ;  for 
the  path  of  duty  is  not  always  the  smoothest ;  there 
may  be  great  difficulties  lying  in  it ;  or,  perhaps  pain- 
ful diseases  may  be  threatening  us  :  we  may  fear  "  the 
night  of  death  :"  a  time  of  darkness  and  fear  sometimes 
comes  on  the  best  men.  There  is  nothing  but  faith 
which  can  eradicate  and  allay  this  fear.  We  should 
expect  such  seasons,  and  prepare  for  them  by  a  firm 
trust  in  Him  who,  if  he  sends  a  night  of  sorrow,  can 
also  give  us  '"songs"  in  it,  and  enable  us  to  say  with 
David — "  Thy  statutes  have  been  my  songs  in  the 
house  of  my  pilgrimage."  Psalm  cxix.  54. 

Such  as  are  not  thus  taught  of  God,  are  loud  in  their 
complaints,  when  in  trouble  :  they  have  no  resource  in 
trouble  :  the  great  question  with  them  is — "  Can  you 
tell  me  of  any  person  of  power  that  can  help  me  ?"  If 
you  endeavor  to  point  out  to  them  the  true  source  of 
consolation  and  help,  they  are  not  disposed  to  listen  ; 
they  go  on  stating  their  troubles,  over  and  over;  "But 
none  saith,  Where  is  God  my  maker,  who  giveth  songs 
in  the  night  ?"  Can  there  be  a  stronger  proof  of  the 
apostasy  of  the  heart  of  man  from  God  than  this  look- 
ing everywhere  but  to  God  for  help?  "My  people 
have  committed  two  evils,"  says  God,  "  they  have  for- 
saken me,  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed 
them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns  that  can  hold  no 
w^ater."  Jer.  ii.  13. 

Is  it  a  time  of  trial — of  night — with  you  ?  It  would 
be  a  most  distressing  sight  to  see  you  among  such  as 
"compass  themselves  about  with  sparks,  and  lie  down 
in  sorrow"  and  despair;  but  if  you  are  inquiring  after 
relief,  and  if  you  wish  to  know  from  whence  real  com- 


54  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

fort  can  alone  come,  pray  to  God  your  maker  to  bring 
you  experimentally  acquainted  with  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Look  at  Hagar  in  the  wilderness  : 
when  she  called  upon  the  Lord,  he  showed  her  a  well 
of  water,  and  instructed  her,  and  comforted  her.  We 
have  no  need  to  go  up  into  heaven  for  comfort;  it  is 
at  hand  for  the  man  who  is  able  to  take  Christ,  and  rest 
upon  his  promise.  And,  if  I  am  not  able  so  to  do,  this 
is  the  very  thing  I  should  pray  for.  Do  not  limit  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel ;  there  is  no  trial  or  difficulty  but 
God  can  make  a  way  to  escape.  I  have  talked  to  some 
people,  who  have  said,  they  were  afraid  of  losing  their 
affliction,  lest  they  should  lose  the  consolation  which 
had  accompanied  it.  One  reason  for  sending  the  afflic- 
tion is,  in  order  to  lead  you  to  the  acknowledgment  of 
God,  in  his  power  to  comfort  and  support  under  it. 

Although  in  this  world  our  comfort  and  joy  in  the 
Lord  is  like  a  winter's  sunbeam,  yet  from  hence  we 
can  form  an  idea  of  what  is  laid  up  for  us  in  heaven. 
A  man  can  form  but  a  poor  imperfect  idea  of  the  sun 
from  its  faint  watery  rays  in  winter  :  yet,  it  is  an  idea 
that  a  bhnd  man  can  never  attain. 


THE  BURDEN  OF  DUMAH. 

The  Burden  of  Dumah.  He  calleth  to  me  out  of  Seir,  Watchman, 
what  of  the  nisht  1  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  1  The  watch- 
man  said,  The  morning  cometh,  and  also  the  night :  if  ye  will  in- 
quire, inquire  ye:  return,  come. — Isaiah  xxi,  11,  12,  [1806.J 

In  books  of  the  most  surpassing  excellency  which 
were  ever  written  by  the  pen  of  human  reason,  there 
are  observable  certain  marks  of  weakness,  and  blind- 


THE    BURDEN    OF    DUMAH.  55 

ness,  which  show  them  to  be  indeed  the  works  of  man. 
Whereas,  the  most  obscure  parts  of  the  book  of  God, 
if  diligently  studied,  will  yield  light  and  instruction  to 
the  simple  and  sincere  inquirer. 

The  prophecy  before  us  is  confessedly  a  very  dark 
part  of  Scripture.  There  is  no  subsequent  history  of 
the  predicted  events  to  reflect  light  upon  it ;  though  it 
must  not  be  doubted  that  the  prophecy  and  its  fulfil- 
ment coincided  in  every  particular.  Neither  is  it  cer- 
tain where  the  scene  of  the  prophecy  was  laid.  The 
most  probable  conjecture  is,  that  by  Dumah  we  are  to 
understand  Idumea,  or  Edom ;  especially  as  it  is  said, 
"  He  calleth  to  me  out  of  Seir :"  Seir  being  a  moun- 
tain of  Edom.  But  it  would  be  wasting  your  time  to 
enter  into  the  various  conjectures  which  have  been 
started  upon  this  point ;  and  I  feel  it  a  matter  of  con- 
science not  to  attempt  any  thing  merely  critical,  if  it 
be  an  unprofitable  inquiry.  There  is  nothing  more 
easy  than  for  a  preacher  to  produce  a  long  string  of 
conjectures  from  learned  commentators ;  ai  the  same 
time,  there  is  nothing  which  less  impresses  his  hearers 
than  this  ;  so  that  a  part  of  the  short  time  allotted  to  a 
discourse  is  thus  spent  to  very  little  purpose.  When 
we  read,  or  hear  the  Scriptures,  it  is  comparatively  of 
little  moment  whether  we  know  any  thing  critically 
about  them.  The  great  question  is,  what  instruction 
and  assistance  do  they  yield  ? 

Upon  the  present  occasion,  we  shall  consider  what 
instruction  is  to  be  derived  in  the  inquiry  here  made, 
and  what  is  the  watchman's  reply.  I  shall  proceed 
upon  this  plan,  and  consider, 

I.  The  mauiRY  made  to  the  watchman  :  '*  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night  V 

I.  You  all  well  know,  my  dear  hearers,  that  God  has 


56  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

not  only  made  to  mankind  a  revelation  of  his  will — 
and  this  at  sundry  times,  and  in  divers  manners — but 
that  he  has  also  "  set  watchmen" — persons  specially 
appointed  to  warn  others,  to  assist  them  in  their  inqui- 
ries, to  remind  them  of  the  truth  which  he  has  re- 
vealed, and  the  obligations  which  they  are  under  to 
walk  in  it ;  and  to  direct  them  in  the  way  thereof,  lest 
their  "  feet  stumble  upon  the  dark  mountains."  Thus 
he  says,  Isa.  Ixii.  6,  7,  "  I  have  set  watchmen  upon  thy 
walls,  O  Jerusalem,  which  shall  never  hold  their  peace 
day  nor  night :  ye  that  make  mention  of  the  Lord, 
keep  not  silence,  and  give  him  no  rest  till  he  establish 
and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  earth."  So 
again  :  Ezek.  xxxiii.  7,  "  Son  of  man,  I  have  set  thee 
a  watchman  unto  the  house  of  Israel." 

But  God  hath  not  only  appointed  watchmen  to  warn 
a  slumbering  world  of  its  danger,  but  he  has  also  laid 
upon  them  the  strongest  obligation  to  discharge  the 
great  duties  of  their  important  post ;  and  that,  under 
the  New,  as  well  as  under  the  Old  Testament  dispen- 
sations. I  repeat,  they  are  under  the  most  weighty 
obligation,  the  severest  sanctions,  to  act  faithfully  in 
this  matter ;  inasmuch  as  it  is  said,  "  I  have  set  thee 
to  be  a  watchman  to  the  house  of  Israel ;  and  thou 
shalt  warn  them  from  me.  When  I  say  unto  the 
wicked,  O  wicked  man,  thou  shalt  surely  die  ;  if  thou 
dost  not  speak  to  warn  the  wicked  from  his  way,  that 
wicked  man  shall  die  in  his  iniquity  ;  but  his  blood 
will  I  require  at  thine  hand." 

But  further,  God  has  not  only  laid  the  watchman 
under  the  most  weighty  obligation  to  fulfil  his  duty ; 
but  the  people  to  whom  he  speaks,  whom  he  warns, 
and  with  whom  he  expostulates  as  to  their  danger,  are 
placed  under  a  weighty  obligation  also.  ''  If  ye  will 
inquire,  inquire  ye :  return,  come."     It  is  their  duty, 


THE    BURDEN    OF    DUMAH.  57 

\ 

as  it  is  their  privilege,  to  inquire,  to  listen,  to  return  to 
God,  and  to  return  from  the  path  of  death ;  to  come  at 
the  invitation  of  the  watchman,  and  to  enter  into  the 
way  of  life  and  safety. 

The  cry,  in  the  text,  seems  to  proceed  from  some 
pious  Edomite,  who  had  learned,  as  he  might  do  from 
the  eleventh  and  thirty-fourth  chapters  of  the  prophecy, 
that  severe  punishments  were  determined  against  Edom : 
the  inquiry,  therefore,  was  highly  suitable  and  proper. 
It  was  the  duty  of  the  Edomite  to  consult  the  watch- 
man ;  and  it  is  pointed  out  to  us  as  a  sin  of  great 
enormity  to  neglect  the  w^atchman,  and  the  message 
which  God  hath  sent  by  him.  "  I  have  not  sent  thee," 
says  the  Lord  to  Ezekiel,  "  to  a  people  of  a  strange 
speech  and  of  a  hard  language,  but  to  the  house  of 
Israel :  but  the  house  of  Israel  will  not  hearken  unto 
thee ;  for  they  will  not  hearken  unto  me  :  for  all  the 
house  of  Israel  are  impudent  and  hardhearted.  Be- 
hold, I  have  made  thy  face  strong  against  their  faces, 
and  thy  forehead  strong  against  their  foreheads.  As 
an  adamant,  harder  than  stone,  have  I  made  thy  fore- 
head ;  fear  them  not,  neither  be  dismayed  at  their 
looks."  I  say,  therefore,  that  to  reject  the  watchman 
who  is  sent  of  God,  and  the  message  he  brings,  is  one 
of  the  highest  provocations  that  can  be  offered  to  the 
Most  High. 

To  illustrate  this  in  the  plainest  way.  Suppose  you 
sent  your  servant  to  a  person  with  a  particular  mes- 
sage, and  no  attention  was  paid  either  to  him  or  your 
message — could  a  greater  affront,  I  ask,  be  offered  to 
you  ?  I  say,  therefore,  again,  that  when  there  is  re- 
jection or  neglect  of  the  watchman's  message,  no 
greater  affront  can  possibly  be  offered  to  the  Almighty. 
This  was  the  flagrant  offence  which  caused  our  Lord 

to  mourn  over  Jerusalem :  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 

3# 


58  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them  that  are 
sent  unto  thee  ;  how  often  would  I,"  even  by  my  min- 
isters, "  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a 
hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye 
would  not !"     Matt,  xxxiii.  37. 

We  have  seen  that  the  inquiries  of  the  pious  Edomite 
probably  related  to  the  night  of  affliction  which  then 
darkened  the  land  of  Idumea.  He  seems  to  ask  the 
watchman,  who  was  set  to  give  notice,  how  far  this 
night  of  affliction  was  advanced.  '•'  Watchman,  what 
of  the  night  ?"  q.  d.  When  will  it  be  over  ?  What 
is  the  time?  When  will  the  darkness  be  passed? 
How  much  of  the  vial  of  calamity  remains  to  be  poured 
out  ?  "  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?"  Tell  us  what 
you  can  for  our  encouragement,  for  our  support,  for 
our  consolation  and  direction,  with  respect  to  the  night 
of  affliction  through  which  we  are  passing.  The  in- 
quiry is  also  importunate,  like  that  of  persons  in  great 
anxiety  and  perplexity ;  it  is  repeated,  "  Watchman, 
what  of  the  night?  watchman,  what  of  the  night?" 
Speak  quickly  :  we  are  anxious  and  impatient  to  know  : 
keep  us  not  a  moment  in  suspense!  Your  answer  may 
be  of  the  utmost  possible  consequence ! 

But  I  imagine  I  hear  some  of  you  saying,  All  this 
may  be  evident  enough  with  respect  to  Idumea,  or 
Dumah,  at  that  time  ;  but  what  have  ive  to  do  with 
it?  How  does  it  apply  to  us?  and  how  can  it,  in  any 
way,  be  profitable  to  us  ?  I  answer  the  inquiry  by 
proposing  another :  What  is  the  character  of  man  in 
everv  age  ?  Is  he  not  a  sinner  ?  Is  not  the  wrath  of 
God  revealed  from  heaven  against  all  ungodliness  and 
unrighteousness  of  men  ?  and  does  guilty  man  want  no 
counsel  as  to  the  way  of  escape  ?  does  he  want  none  to 
point  him  to  a  refuge  ?  Again  :  Is  he  not  also  an  igno- 
rant creature  ?     Does  he  not  want  instruction  ?     Does 


THE    BURDEN    OF    DUMAH.  69 

he  not  need  to  be  directed  in  his  way  ?  And  has  not 
God  sent  watchmen  for  this  purpose,  to  give  him  direc- 
tions in  his  perplexity?  Is  he  not  also  a  needy  and 
helpless  creature  ?  Has  he  not  ten  thousand  wants  ? 
And  is  it  of  no  consequence  at  all,  whether  he  direct 
his  steps  through  a  trackless  wilderness,  or  through  a 
peopled  and  fruitful  country,  where  the  roads  are  good, 
and  the  direction  posts  both  exact  and  numerous  ? 
And  do  vou  ask,  after  this,  "  What  have  we  to  do  with 
the  Edomite's  inquiry?"  What !  did  you,  then,  never 
feel  in  your  own  heart  an  anxiety  to  inquire  of  one  who 
you  thought  might  instruct  you.  What  of  the  night  of 
perplexity,  which  at  this  time  darkens  my  path  ?  I  know 
not  which  way  to  turn ; — I  know  not  what  step  to 
take  !  Have  you,  then,  never  passed  through  the  night 
of  temptation  ?  Have  you  never  wanted  a  friend  to 
assist  you  in  that  night  ?  Did  you  never  wish  to  speak 
to  any  one  concerning  your  ignorance,  when  you  have 
been  in  some  critical  situation  ?  When  unbelief  has 
visited  your  heart,  and  hung  like  a  heavy  weight  upon 
you,  so  that  you  have  been  tempted,  perhaps,  to  call  in 
question  every  truth  that  you  had  formerly  believed ; 
and,  when  every  prop  on  which  you  leaned  seemed  to 
be  failing  under  you ;  did  you  never  feel  the  necessity 
of  asking — What  of  the  night  of  adversity,  or  dark 
dispensation,  through  which  I  have  to  wander?  My 
friends  call  upon  me,  and  seem  to  stare  me  in  the  face — 
they  are  amazed  at  the  strangeness  of  my  circum- 
stances ;  but  they  have  no  consolation  to  offer ;  they 
have  no  deliverance  to  give.  What,  then,  can  I  do, 
but  pour  out  my  heart  before  God,  and  wait,  until  he 
sends  me  help  from  his  sanctuary,  and  compasseth  me 
about  with  songs  of  deliverance  ! 

Again,  did  you  never  say — "  Watchman,  what  of 
the  night"  of  danger  that  is  coming  upon  me  ?     I  am 


60  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

assailed  by  a  mortal  distemper ;  the  shadows  of  death 
and  the  grave  are  gathering  around  me  :  How  shall  I 
pass  the  dark  valley  ?  who  will  point  me  to  the  secure 
path?  that  in  the  presence  of  the  king  of  terrors,  I 
may  say  with  David,  "  I  fear  no  evil."  My  dear  hear- 
ers, experience  tells  man  that  the  night  through  which 
he  has  to  pass  is  sometimes  so  dark — the  dispensa- 
tion is  so  exceedingly  afflictive  and  perplexing,  that 
as  the  Psalmist  expresses  it,  he  is  at  his  wit's  end  ! 
And,  now,  in  such  a  state  as  this,  how  natural  is  it, 
how  rational  is  it,  for  a  man  to  look  about  for  a  coun- 
sellor !  how  rational,  where  information  might  be  ob- 
tained, to  say  with  the  Edomite  in  the  text — "  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night  ?"  How  long  will  it  be  before 
the  sun  rises  ?  before  some  light  is  afforded  ?  some  de- 
liverance sent  ? 

The  state  of  a  sinful  world  is,  comparatively,  a  state 
of  night ; — and  if  a  man  has  sobriety  and  considera- 
tion, w^ill  he  be  anxiously  inquiring — always  inquiring 
— about  trifles,  about  froth  and  nonsense  ?  "I  can- 
not," as  one  expresses  it,  "  but  smile  in  pity  to  see  a 
man,  even  an  old  man,  hastening  into  eternity — into 
an  eternity  of  happiness  or  misery — yet,  unresolved 
in  the  great  point ;  having  no  ground  for  the  sole  of 
his  foot" — having  no  arm  to  lean  upon :  yet  this  man 
can  appear  trembling  with  anxiety — anxiety  about 
what  1  about  the  way  of  acceptance  and  pardon  ? 
about  the  night  which  is  at  hand,  "  when  no  man  can 
work  ?"  about  how  he  shall  meet  God  ?  No  such 
thing  !  It  is  the  last  thing  you  hear  of !  His  anxiety 
is  about  the  place  where  he  shall  make  the  next  good 
bargain ;  his  anxiety  is  to  know  something  about  the 
pohtical  state  of  things ;  his  anxiety  is,  how  he  shall 
obtain  a  picture,  or  some  such  trifle  !  and  you  shall  see 
him  trembling  in  an  auction-room,  at  the  fate  of  a 


THE    BURDEN    OF    DUMAIL  61 

\ 

splendid  toy  ;  and,  going  away,  tottering  with  age  and 
infirmity,  carrying  the  bauble  in  his  hand ! 

Brethren,  it  is  a  most  affecting  case,  when  a  man  is 
totally  indisposed  to  serious  inquiry  !  surely,  it  is  a 
sign  that  he  is  sleeping  the  sleep  of  death  !  and  better 
is  it  that  a  man,  thus  spiritually  asleep,  should  be  dis- 
turbed and  agitated  by  ten  thousand  dreams,  if  perad- 
venture,  the  alarm  shall  rouse  him  from  his  slumbers, 
and  cause  him  to  ask,  with  an  earnestness  similar  to 
that  of  the  inquirer  in  the  text — "  Watchman,  what  of 
the  night  ?"     Let  us  now  consider, 

II.  The  importance  of  the  watchman's  reply: 
**  The  morning  co?neth,  and  also  the  night :  if  ye  will 
inquire,  inquii'e  ye  :  retm^n,  come''' 

Some,  as  I  before  hinted,  may  take  '*  the  burden  of 
Dumah"  to  be  quite  a  local  affair ;  and  I  will  admit, 
that  something  was  spoken  with  a  special  reference  to 
the  nation  inhabiting  Idumea.  But,  I  ask,  if  a  man 
has  only  the  turn  of  mind  belonging  to  a  mere  philoso- 
pher, does  he  not  consider  that  the  general  state  of 
man  in  all  ages,  and  in  all  nations,  is  precisely  the 
same  ?  Does  he  not  consider  that  the  spirit  of  the 
fact  extends  to  every  part  of  the  globe,  and  throughout 
all  generations  of  men  ?  Is  not  the  All-seeing  Re- 
vealer  of  wisdom  the  same  ?  Is  not  human  nature 
the  same  ?  And  do  not  its  perplexities  and  its  dark- 
ness call  on  every  age  for  the  same  answers  to  the 
same  inquiries  ? 

In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  said  to  every  man  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth,  as  a  truth  of  the  last  importance 
— "  The  morning  cometh,  and  also  the  night."  And, 
secondly,  it  may  be  said  to  every  man,  that  this  state 
of  things  imposes  a  special  obligation  upon  him.     Let 


62  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

US,  for   a    few  minutes,  consider  each  of   these  par- 
ticulars. 

1st.  It  is  a  truth  of  the  last  innportance,  that  there 
Cometh  not  the  morning  only,  hut  also  the  night. 
There  is  an  appointed  vicissitude,  a  perpetual  change  ; 
the  scenes  of  providence  are  continually  shifting ;  its 
seasons  continually  changing  ;  every  thing  revolves. 
You  will  not  be  in  the  same  situation  to-morrow  that 
you  are  in  to-day ;  and,  it  is  possible,  that,  before  the 
next  day  comes,  you  may  be  in  another  world  !  There 
is  a  strange  infatuation,  of  which  no  thinking  man  can 
be  insensible.  We  see  our  friends  and  neighbors  die 
around  us ;  and  we  seem  to  sit  down  as  if  we  had  no 
concern  at  all  in  the  affair ;  as  though  we  "  had  made 
a  covenant  with  death  ;"  as  though  we  had  got  a  dis- 
pensation from  the  grave.     Thus  the  poet  says, 


>'* 


"  All  mgn  think  all  men  mortal  but  themselves. 

But  we  should  consider  that  "  the  morning  cometh, 
and  also  the  night."  Many  of  us  have  passed  our 
morning  ;  we  have  had  our  noon  ;  some  of  us  have 
advanced  far  into  the  afternoon ;  we  perceive  the 
shades  of  evening  beginning  to  appear,  and  are  sure 
the  night  will  quickly  folio w\  For  this  night,  it  be- 
hooves each  of  us  diligently  to  prepare  ;  for, 

2ndly.  Special  obligations  belong  to  such  a  state  of  vi- 
cissitude. ''  The  morning  cometh,"  says  the  watchman, 
"and  also  the  night;"  therefore,  "if  ye  will  inquire, 
inquire  ye  :  return,  come." 

Inquiry,  upon  a  multitude  of  topics,  is  sheer  imperti- 
nence, while  men  neglect  to  inquire  concerning  the 
great  business  of  eternity.  A  large  measure  of  the 
guilt  of  the  world  rests  upon  this  very  point — they  will 

*  Young's  Night  Thoughts. 

DO  O 


THE    BURDEN    OF    DUMAH.  63 

not  inquire.  Many  cannot  but  know  that  they  are  ig- 
norant upon  the  great  topics  of  Christianity  ;  but  they 
are  too  proud,  or  too  careless,  or  too  much  occupied,  to 
ask  any  questions  respecting  them.  And,  of  those  who 
do  inquire,  how  few  inquire  aright  !  "  They  come 
unto  thee,"  says  the  Lord  to  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  "  as 
the  people  cometh,  and  they  sit  before  thee  as  my 
people,  and  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they  will  not  do 
them  :  for  with  their  mouth  they  show  much  love,  but 
their  heart  goeth  after  their  covetousness.  And,  lo, 
thou  art  unto  them  as  a  very  lovely  song  of  one  that 
hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well  on  an  instru- 
ment :  for  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they  do  them  not." 
Ezek.  xxxiii.  31,  32.  They  listen  to  the  voice,  to  the 
eloquence  of  the  preacher — if  he  has  eloquence — but 
they  do  not  "  inquire  ;"  they  pay  no  sort  of  regard  to 
the  matter  :  the  tinsel  dazzles  them  ;  but  as  to  the  gold, 
they  value  it  not  at  all ;  they  ask  not  after  it. 

Therefore,  says  the  watchman,  "  If  ye  will  inquire," 
if  you  mean  any  thing  by  coming  ;  if  you  are  not  a 
mere  trifler  in  the  business — a  man  carried  away  by 
taste  or  fancy — then,  "  inquire  ye :"  you  are  under  a 
special  obligation  ;  therefore,  inquire  humbly — as  one 
feeling  his  ignorance,  and  wishing  to  be  taught ;  inquire 
earnestly — as  one  interested  in  an  affair  of  infinite  im- 
portance ;  inquire  scripturally — taking  the  word  of 
God  for  your  rule  ;  inquire  repeatedly — come  again  and 
again ;  for  the  necessity  for  such  inquiries  continues : 
*'  Return,  come ;"  come,  and  inquire,  as  long  as  there 
are  watchmen  to  answer ;  for  a  night  is  quickly  com- 
ing upon  the  world  in  which  they  will  be  sought  in 
vain.  Again,  if  ye  will  inquire,  inquire  ye,  and  *'  re- 
turn." "O  Israel,  return  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  for 
thou  hast  fallen  by  thine  iniquity." 

And  here  let  me  observe,  that  it  does  not  become  us 


64  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

to  say  what  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  with  re- 
spect to  those  who  know  nothing  of  his  ways — and 
particularly  the  heathen  world.  When  a  case  of  this 
kind  is  brought  before  us,  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  "  Shall 
not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?"  We  are  al- 
ways wrong  when  we  propose  to  take  the  Judge's 
chair.  But  if  a  man  has  an  express  call  from  the  word 
of  God,  and  has  the  truth  of  that  word  set  before  him, 
from  time  to  time — if  he  has  become  informed  con- 
cerning the  mind  and  will  of  God — I  think  we  are 
warranted  to  say  of  such  a  man — if  he  do  not  return, 
if  he  slights  the  message,  and  the  messenger — if  he 
lives  and  dies  as  men  of  this  world  generally  do  live 
and  die — that  he  will  be  beaten,  not  with  *'few,"  but 
with  "  many  stripes  ;"  that  it  will  be  more  tolerable  for 
the  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  in  the  day  of 
judgment,  than  for  that  man  !  Therefore,  let  me  leave 
this  word  solemnly  impressed  upon  your  consciences : 
"  If  ye  will  inquire,  inquire  ye,  and  return  ;"  for  he  that 
inquires,  and  does  not  "  return  "  and  prosecute  his  in- 
quiries, must  be  compared  to  the  "foolish  man  which 
built  his  house  upon  the  sand  :  and  the  rain  descended, 
and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat 
upon  that  house  ;  and  it  fell :  and  great  was  the  fall  of 
it."  But  he  that  inquires,  and  returns — he  who  hear- 
eth  the  word  of  God  and  doeth  it — "  may  be  likened  to 
the  wise  man  which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock  ;  and 
the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds 
blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house  ;  and  it  fell  not :  for  it 
was  founded  upon  a  rock." 

But,  further,  the  man  who  knows  that  there  is  not 
only  a  "  morning,"  but  also  a  *'  night,"  which  is  coming 
on,  is  under  a  special  obligation  not  only  to  "inquire," 
not  only  to  "  return,"  but  to  "  come."  Here  is  the  arm 
of  divine  power  held  out :  let  him  come  fOr  the  requi- 


THE    BURDEN    OP    DUMAH.  G5 

site  help  on  this  great  occasion :  here  is  an  invitation 
of  special  encouragement :  let  him  embrace  the  oppor- 
tunity offered.  My  dear  hearers,  I  desire  you  will  mark 
this  ;  that  because  of  the  unbelief  of  our  hearts — be- 
cause of  the  despair  into  which  temptation  may  throw 
us — the  tenderness  of  invitation  is  here  minded  with 
the  authority  of  command.  Does  the  desponding 
penitent  cry  out,  Wherewithal  shall  I  return  unto  the 
Lord  ?  Where  can  I  obtain  strength  ?  How  shall  I 
get  the  spirit  of  religion  ?  How  shall  I  acquire  a  taste 
for  the  things  which  hitherto  I  have  not  at  all  relished  ? 
The  reply  is  in  the  text :  Not  only  inquire  for  the  path 
of  light,  and  return  from  that  of  darkness,  but  also  seek 
the  necessary  helps :  come  for  grace  and  strength  to 
enable  you  to  go  forward  :  inquire,  return,  come.  You 
are  not  only  to  learn  that  it  is  your  duty  to  repent,  and 
that  repentance  is  indispensable  to  pardon  ;  but,  you 
must  know  likewise,  that  God  has  exalted  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  "  to  give  repentance"  as  well  as  "remission  of 
sins."  You  are  not  merely  to  learn,  that  faith  is  ne- 
cessary to  salvation,  but  you  must  know  also,  "  that 
faith  is  the  gift  of  God."  For,  let  it  be  recollected,  that 
God  never  commanded  his  creatures  to  go  forward 
without  pointing  out  the  way,  and  strengthening  them 
in  it.  Thus,  he  commanded  the  children  of  Israel  to 
"  go  forward  :"  but  they  said  to  Moses,  "  Wherefore 
hast  thou  dealt  thus  with  us,  to  carry  us  forth  out  of 
Egypt  ?"  Wherefore  ?  Because  God  will  make  a  way 
through  the  sea,  a  path  through  the  mighty  waters  !  So 
here,  he  says,  "  return  ;"  and  in  order  to  return,  "  come  " 
for  help  ;  *'  come  "  for  grace  and  strength  ;  "  come  "  for 
pardon,  and  peace,  and  victory,  through  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  So  the  prophet  Hosea  invites  :  "  Come,  and 
let  us  return  unto  the  Lord  ;  for  he  bath  torn,  and  he 
will  heal  us  ;  he  hath  smitten,  and  he  will  bind  us  up. 


66  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

After  two  days  will  he  revive  us :  in  the  third  day  he 
will  raise  us  up,  and  we  shall  live  in  his  sight  Then 
shall  we  know,  if  we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord  :  his 
going  forth  is  prepared  as  the  morning  :"  that  is,  the 
gracious  plan  of  the  Lord,  as  to  his  people,  is  progres- 
sive, like  the  morning;  there  is  first  the  early  dawn  : 
there  is  the  gradual  increase  of  light ;  there  is  the  full 
and  clear  day  ;  and,  at  length,  the  splendor  of  the  me- 
ridian sun  :  thus,  are  "  the  goings  forth  of  the  Lord 
prepared  as  the  morning."  "  Come  now,"  saith  the 
Lord  by  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "  and  let  us  reason  toge- 
ther :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as 
white  as  snow ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they 
shall  be  as  wool."  So,  if  any  be  weary,  and  bowed 
down  under  the  weight  of  guilt,  Jesus  saith,  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest." 

You  see,  then,  that  the  watchman's  reply  fully  meets 
the  case  :  it  consists,  not  only  in  intimating  to  man  his 
condition  ; — not  only,  in  putting  him  upon  inquiry — 
not  only,  in  showing  him  the  necessity  for  a  return — 
but  it  points  out  to  him  also  the  way  of  effecting  it : 
how  he  shall  be  able  to  return  and  come  by  faith  to 
the  Physician,  who  will  heal  all  his  backslidings. 
Come,  then,  to  the  watchman  ;  to  the  ordinances ;  to 
the  helps  ;  to  the  means  of  grace.  ' 

In  conclusion :  "  Let  us  all  learn  from  the  subject, 
that  the  whole  of  Revelation  points  out  to  man  his  in- 
evitable change,  and  the  preparation  which  he  should 
make  to  meet  it.'"'  "  The  morning  cometh,  and  also  the 
night :  If  ye  will  inquire,  inquire  ye :  return,  come." 
This  is  the  message  of  ever}'  age  ;  and  therefore  the 
apostle  says,  in  language  less  obscure  than  that  of  the 
prophet,  "  The  night  is  far  spent,  the  day  is  at  hand  ; 
let  us  therefore  cast  off  the  works  of  darlvness,  and  let 


THE    BURDEN    OF    DUMAH,  67 

US  put  on  the  armor  of  light."  Under  the  Gospel  dis- 
pensation, every  inquiry  that  can  be  made  has  been 
satisfactorily  answered.  The  watchmen  in  Zion  have 
pointed  out  so  clearly  and  distinctly  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, through  the  blood  and  righteousness  of  Jesiis 
Christ,  and  by  the  operation  of  his  Spirit,  '*  that  he 
may  run  that  readeth  it.'  Hear  what  one  of  these 
watchmen  says,  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  Second 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians :  ''  All  things  are  of  God, 
who  hath  reconciled  us  unto  himself  by  Jesus  Christ, 
and  hath  given  to  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation." 
He  hath  sent  us  as  watchmen,  to  make  this  proclama- 
tion— "  To  wit,  that  God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling 
the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses 

unto  them Now,  then,  we  are  ambassadors 

for  Christ,  as  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us :"  we 
are  watchmen,  and,  "  we  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead, 
be  ye  reconciled  to  God.  For  he  hath  made  him  to 
be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin  ;  that  we  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him." 

A  great  deal  of  time  and  labor  has  been  spent  by 
watchmen,  merely  such  by  office,  on  matters  of  com- 
paratively little  moment.  But  the  true  Watchman 
must  ''  cry  aloud,  and  spare  not,"  whether  men  will 
hear,  or  whether  they  will  forbear  :  he  must  declare 
the  truth  plainly  and  broadly  :  he  must  proclaim  that 
"  the  morning  cometh,  and  also  the  night ; '  that  it  is  a 
night  "  in  which  no  man  can  work  :"  and  the  less  dis- 
posed a  man  is  to  hear  of  death,  hell,  and  judgment, 
the  more  he  ought  to  hear  of  them,  that  his  conscience 
may  be  alarmed.  What  madness  and  infatuation  is  it 
for  such  a  man — a  man  under  a  sentence  of  death — to 
be  calling  for  amusements  to  keep  up  his  spirits !  to  be 
asking  for  toys  when  he  is  going  to  execution  !  when 
he  is  passing  through  the  nieht  of  trial  and  rif  thirk 


68  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

darkness  ; — when  Satan  is  all  activity,  deluding,  en- 
slaving, and  destroying ;  and,  whilst  eternity  is  open- 
ino-  before  him  !  I  sav,  what  madness  and  infatuation 
is  it  for  men,  under  wrath  and  condemnation,  to  trifle 
in  this  manner ! 

My  dear  hearers,  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you  that  there 
is  much  to  do !  that  you  have  a  great  journey  to  per- 
form ;  and  that  to  hesitate  about  setting  out,  is  to  trifle 
with  your  souls  !  This  journey  must  be  performed  in 
the  day  :  for,  "  if  any  man  walk  in  the  day,  he  stum- 
bleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world  ;  but 
if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because 
there  is  no  light  in  him."  We  are  now  enjoying  the 
"morning:"  special  light  is  afforded  us:  whilst  other 
places  are  wrapped  in  the  darkness  of  idolatry,  the 
light  of  life  shines  upon  us.  Ours  is  the  morning  of 
truth  ;  of  opportunity  ;  of  privilege.  But  we  should 
recollect,  that  every  morning  is  succeeded  by  night; 
the  brightest  light,  by  darkness.  Come,  then,  now, 
"  while  it  is  called  to-day  ;"  come  to  God,  through  Christ. 
Remember,  that  the  same  Holy  Spirit  that  brought  the 
message,  and  who  sent  the  watchman  to  deliver  it, 
must  apply  it  to  our  hearts,  must  impress  and  seal  it 
there — or  we  shall  never  "  come"  in  answer  to  the 
watchman's  call.  When  St.  Paul,  on  a  certain  occasion, 
preached  the  most  important  truths,  he  added, "  I  would 
to  God,  that  all  who  hear  me  this  day  were  both  almost 
and  altogether  such  as  I  am."  What,  then,  cannot  an 
inspired  Apostle  make  theni  so  ?  Cannot  he  effect  the 
change  he  desires  to  see  ?  No  ;  he  cannot  give  life  : 
he  cannot  give  the  "  hearing  ear"  nor  "  the  understand- 
ing heart :"  but  God  can  do  all  this.  And  I  therefore 
bes-eech  him  to  grant  his  Holy  Spirit  to  all  of  you  who  hear 
me  this  day,  that  you  may  rightly  understand  the  watch- 
man's reply  ;  that  you  may  "  inquire,"  witlrseriousness, 


Rachel's  pillar.  69 

for  the  way  to  Zion ;  that  you  may  "  return,"  with  de- 
termined steps,  from  the  paths  of  ruin  ;  and  "  come"  to 
Jesus,  as  the  ever-watchful  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of 
your  souls! — which,  may  God  of  his  infinite  mercy 
grant,  for  Christ's  sake ! 


KACHEL'S   PILLAR. 

And  they  journeyed  from  Beth-el ;  and  there  was  but  a  little  way  to  come 
to  Ephrath :  and  Rachel  travailed,  and  she  had  hard  labor.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  she  was  in  hard  labor,  that  the  midwife  said 
unto  her,  Fear  not ;  thou  shalt  have  this  son  also.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  her  soul  was  in  departing  (for  she  died),  that  she  called  his 
name  Ben-oni;  but  his  father  called  him  Benjamin.  And  Rachel 
died,  and  was  buried  in  the  way  to  Ephrath,  which  is  Bethlehem. 
And  Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon  her  grave ;  that  is  the  pillar  of  Rachel's 
grave  unto  this  day.— Gen.  xxxv.  16 — 21,  -  [1806.] 

The  wisest  on  earth  cannot  calculate  on  the  next 
moment.  There  is  but  One  on  whose  word  of  prom- 
ise we  can  safely  depend. 

Jacob  having,  at  God's  command,  returned  to  Beth-el, 
and  built  there  an  altar,  thought  to  sit  down  quietly  ; 
but  death  entering  his  family,  taught  him  otherwise, 
and  instructed  him  that  he  must  not  place  too  much 
account  either  in  places,  or  ordinances,  but  in  the  God 
of  Ordinances.  El-beth-el  means  the  God  of  Beth-el. 
He  had  no  sooner  built  his  altar  than  we  read,  "  But 
Deborah,  Rebecca's  nurse,  died,  and  she  w^as  buried 
beneath  Beth-el,  under  an  oak :  and  the  name  of  it 
was  called  Allon-bachuth  ;"  that  is,  the  oak  of  weeping. 
A  faithful  servant  is  a  valuable  gift  of  God,  and  not  to 
be  obtained  in  any  other  way  ;  not  to  be  neglected 
when  infirm,  and  past  serving. 


70  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

After  Jacob  had  returned  out  of  Padan-aram,  God 
appeared  unto  him  again,  and  blessed  him.  "  And  God 
said  unto  him,  Thy  name  is  Jacob  :  thy  name  shall  not 
be  called  any  more  Jacob,  but  Israel  shall  be  thy  name." 
To  obey  God,  and  to  be  found  in  his  way,  is  a  ground, 
to  expect  his  blessing  God  reminds  him  of  his  name 
Jacob — a  supplanter,  and  the  changing  of  it  to  Israel,  a 
prince  prevailing  with  God.  We  are  by  nature  Jacobs  ; 
but  by  grace,  Israels,  We  stand  in  need  of  fresh  con- 
firmation of  past  encouragements.  Such  are  the  prom- 
ises. What  is  the  benefit  of  repeatedly  frequenting 
ordinances,  but  to  afford  fresh  confirmation  of  past  en- 
couragements ?  God  had  before  changed  his  name  to 
Israel :  see  chap,  xxxii.  28.  But  there  he  reminds  him 
that  as  he  had  prevailed  over  enemies  before,  so  he  must 
do  it  now  ;  in  another  manner,  but  in  reality.  "  And 
Jacob  set  up  a  pillar  in  the  place  where  God  talked 
with  him  ;  even  a  pillar'of  stone." 

Jacob's  favors  had  been  manv  :  but  now  his  sorrows 
were  about  to  arise  :  for  sorrow  and  joy  tread  close  on 
the  heels  of  each  other.  Observe,  how  the  day  of 
prosperity  and  adversity  are  set  over  against  each 
other — as  in  a  rainy  day,  the  clouds  are  gathered  by 
the  shining  of  the  sun.  Man  lives  in  a  land  of  bitter- 
ness, where  trouble  springs  up,  on  every  side,  to  damp 
our  joys  ;  and  if,  for  a  moment,  the  clouds  are  blown 
aside,  expect  their  return.  Do  you  ask,  where  you  are 
to  look  for  most  clouds  ?  I  answer — where  your  sky 
appears  the  brightest ;  where  your  expectations  are  the 
highest.  Our  sharpest  sorrows  arise  out  of  our  sweet- 
est comforts.  How  dear  was  Rachel  to  Jacob ;  the 
delight  of  his  eyes !  So  great  was  his  love,  that  the 
seven  vears  which  he  served  for  her  seemed  but  *'  a 
few  days."     See  chap.  xxix.  20. 

Thus  it  was  also  with  Rachel :  she  said,  "  Give  me 


Rachel's  pillar.  71 

children,  or  else  I  die."  And  in  obtaining  what  she 
esteemed  her  highest  comfort — what  she  would  have 
at  any  rate — she  discovered  the  hidden  root  of  her 
sharpest  sorrow.  God  gave  her  children,  and  she  gave 
to  her  second  child  the  name  of  sorrow.  "  And  it 
came  to  pass,  as  her  soul  was  in  departing  (for  she 
died),  that  she  called  his  name  Ben-oni;"  i.  e.  the  son 
of  my  sorrow.  Take  care  of  desiring  any  thing,  at  any 
rate. 

Our  comforts  are  mixed  with  pain,  because  sin  is 
come  into  the  world.  We  see  its  early  mischief;  Gen. 
iii.  24.  Human  nature  is  prone  to  idolatry.  It  is  a 
very  hard  thing  to  love  the  creature,  and  not  love  it  too 
much :  even  our  lawful  comforts  may  be  unlawfully 
enjoyed.  Would  you  hasten  the  removal  of  a  favorite 
object?  Over-value  it;  love  it  inordinately;  and  God, 
if  he  loves  your  soul,  will  remove  it.  Would  you  have 
your  children  taken  away  ?  Entomb  your  hearts  in 
them  ;  think  of  them  with  endless  anxiety — and  they 
shall  either  become  thorns  in  your  sides,  or  they  shall 
be  taken  away.  The  children  of  our  vain  desires  are 
Ben  onis. 

My  dear  hearers,  I  speak  not  merely  from  this  pas- 
sage of  Scripture,  but  from  observation  in  life,  and 
from  experience  in  my  ministry,  when  I  say — What- 
ever you  would  have  removed,  or  fade  in  your  hand 
while  you  hold  it — which  amounts  to  the  same  thing — 
only  over-value  it,  and  it  is  gone !  An  old  writer  ob- 
serves, "  Our  strongest  affections  are  our  strongest 
afflictions." 

Let  us  learn  to  moderate  our  wishes — to  put  the 
creature  in  its  proper  place.  The  annexing  to  man 
what  ought  to  be  annexed  to  God  only,  is  idolatry. 
All  the  good  we  receive  from  the  creature,  comes  from 
God.     If  he  bids  them  give  us  comfort,  they  shall :  but 


72  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

we  are  apt  to  put  the  creature  out  of  its  proper  place. 
And  if  we  do  not  give  God  the  praise,  and  look  through 
them  to  him,  we  shall  be  made  to  feel  that  they  can  do 
nothing  for  us.  God's  plan  is  to  teach  us  to  depend 
only  upon  himself  Earthly  attachments  are  danger- 
ous :  they  often  give  occasion  for  repentance :  the 
sweetest  of  them  often  bring  tears  from  our  eyes. 
God  sometimes  makes  our  idol  remonstrate  with  us — 
Why  do  you  look  to  me  ?  I  can  only  make  you  weep : 
I  cannot  help  you ;  I  am  but  a  perishing  stream :  go  to 
the  Fountain :  the  heart  you  have  given  me,  you 
should  give  entirely  to  God. 

We  should  not  only  be  ashamed  of  pursuing  with 
endless  solicitude  what  God  has  not  given  us,  but  we 
should  not  even  desire  it.  It  is  by  going  into  the 
sanctuary  that  we  detect  the  idolatry  and  deceitfulness 
of  our  own  hearts. 

We  should  know  how  to  meet  bereaving  providences, 
keeping  our  eye  upon  God.  Let  us  also  consider  the 
nature  of  man  as  described  in  Scripture  :  "  Surely  the 
people  is  grass  :  the  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth." 
See  Isa.  xl.  6.  The  prophet  was  not  merely  to  declare 
this  truth,  but  *'  the  voice  said,  Cry  ;"  i.  e.  tell  the  peo- 
ple this  truth  in  the  most  expressive  manner :  q.  d.  tell 
man  when  he  looks  into  his  garden,  and  into  his  field, 
he  may  there  see  his  own  picture  :  his  garden,  or  his 
field,  may  look  gay  and  pleasing  in  summer,  but  there 
is  a  winter  coming  on  ;  and  even  before  that,  the  scythe 
may  pass  over  the  tallest  flowers,  and  they  shall  wither 
in  an  hour.  This  is  not  a  subject  that  is  curious  or 
doubtful ;  we  may  speak  with  authority  upon  it.  The 
fact  is,  we  are  very  apt  to  trifle  with  important  truths 
like  these,  till  God  comes,  with  some  bereaving  provi- 
dence,  and  seals  truth  upon  our  minds.  He  sends  his 
word  first,  and  then  he  sends  his  providence  to  seal 


Rachel's  pillar.  73 

and  stamp  truth  upon  our  hearts.  God  does  not  send 
affliction  that  man  may  sink  into  sullen  despair  under 
it — or  rush  into  dissipation,  to  banish  from  his  mind  the 
thoughts  of  it ;  but  he  sends  it  to  make  him  know  that 
God  himself  is  the  comforter  of  his  people.  A  Christian 
should  not  only  know  his  resource,  but  be  in  the  habit 
of  turning  to  it  at  a  moment's  notice. 

There  is  nothing  that  a  man  meets  in  his  journey 
through  life,  but  the  Bible  teaches  him  how  to  meet  it 
— how  to  act  in  it — and  how  to  get  good  from  it.  The 
history  of  Jacob  is  particularly  instructive  to  one  who 
has  a  family.  God  had  promised  to  bless  Jacob,  to  be 
his  God ;  but  he  did  not  promise  he  should  have  no 
trouble  or  sorrow :  he  had  promised  to  be  his  portion, 
but  not  that  he  should  not  have  cause  for  many  fears. 
God  is  always  with  his  people,  wherever  they  are  :  and 
he  says  to  every  one  of  us,  as  he  did  to  Jacob,  "  I  am 
God  Almighty ;"  i.  e.  I  am  All-sufficient ;  your  name 
is  weakness  ;  my  name  is  Power  ;  your  name  is  neces- 
sity ;  my  name  is  Help. 

"  And  Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon  her  grave."  Just  be- 
fore, Jacob  had  set  up  a  pillar  of  mercy  ;  now  he  sets 
up  a  pillar  of  mortality.  There  are  few  monuments, 
besides  these  two,  that  are  worth  our  notice.  Pillars 
of  mercy  and  pillars  of  mortality,  are  the  most  re- 
markable events  of  human  life.  How  many  pillars  of 
mercy  have  we  had  to  set  up  in  the  past  year  !  And 
as  to  pillars  of  mortality,  we  cannot  pass  a  month  with- 
out having  occasion  to  set  them  up  for  one  or  another 
whom  we  know.  When  I  look  around  this  chapel,  I  see 
the  places  of  those  who  used  to  attend  here  twenty  or 
thirty  years  ago,  and  who  are  gone  from  this  place  to 
their  graves ! 

While  we  set  up  our  pillars  of  mortality,  let  us  take 
care*  that  we  do  not  sit  down  by  them,  in  melancholy^ 

4 


74  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  sadness.  Israel  set  up  his  pillar,  but  Israel  jour- 
neyed on  :  he  had  other  duties  to  attend  to ;  he  had  u 
family  left,  though  Rachel  was  gone.  "  And  Israel  jour- 
neyed on,  and  spread  his  tent  beyond  the  tower  of 
Edar." 

Let  us  constantly  meditate  upon  the  pillar  of  mercy, 
while  we  have  every  day  to  set  it  up :  and  let  us  give 
full  weight  to  the  pillar  of  mortality.  And  let  us  also 
journey  on,  doing  the  duty  of  life,  both  as  it  regards 
God  and  our  fellow-creatures :  we  have  work  enough 
to  do,  and  but  little  time  in  which  to  do  it.  Oh,  that 
we  may  be  all  found  doing  the  work  of  him  that  sent 
us  in  the  day,  before  that  ''  night  of  death  cometh, 
wherein  no  man  can  work  !" 

Death's  antidote  is  the  door  of  life  ever  open  :  and 
over  it  is  written,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life : 
he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall 
he  live :  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me 
shall  never  die."     John  xi.  25,  26. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTEMPLATING  DEATH. 

For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at 

hand.— 2  Tim.  iv.  6.  [1807. J 

Every  true  Christian  is  a  martyr :  the  word  martyr 
signifies  a  witness.  St.  Paul  was  such,  both  living  and 
dying.  He  spoke  these  words  in  allusion  to  the  death 
he  was  about  to  suffer :  but  the  text  indicates  to  us  that 
the  mind  of  a  true  Christian  is  prepared  for  every 
event.  Death  is  a  common  topic,  and  we  are  apt  to 
speak  of  it  without  consideration.     Let  us  endeavor  to 


THE    CHRISTIAN    CONTEMPLATING    DEATH.  75 

obtain  something  of  St.  Paul's  state  of  mind,  while  we 

I.  Consider,  that  it  is  the  part  of  a  wise  man 
TO  STAND  READY  FOR  HIS  DEPARTURE  I  I.  6.  to  be  pre- 
pared for  death. 

II.  Inquire,  wherein  this  readiness  for  departure 

CONSISTS. 

I.  Consider  that  it  is  the  part  of  a  wise  man  to 
STAND  ready,  because,  1st,  our  departure  is  an  inevi- 
table thing : — "  It  is  appointed  unto  all  men  once  to 
die  :"  our  life  is  but  as  an  hand's  breadth  :  "  Man  in  his 
best  estate  is  altogether  vanity."  There  are  some 
declarations  of  Scripture  which  we  can  only  receive 
by  faith :  but  the  subject  of  the  text  is  a  fact  of 
every  day's  observation  ;  and  that  it  is  often  a  most 
piercing  and  heart-rending  fact,  is  a  truth  which  no 
thinking  man  can  deny. 

We  should  consider  our  departure  as  a  humiliating 
event.  Not  only  must  we  be  taken  from  our  relatives, 
friends,  and  possessions, — but  the  body — now  so  much 
the  object  of  thought  and  attention,  must  soon  become 
mere  lifeless  clay — be  laid  low,  and  mingle  with  its 
primitive  dust.  A  wise  man,  while  he  reflects  upon 
the  death  of  others,  will  take  a  prospective  view  of  his 
own  ;  he  will  endeavor  to  reahze  his  own  corpse  :  as  it 
will  be  a  spectacle  to  others  after  his  departure,  so  he 
will  regard  it  now. 

2ndly.  Because  it  is  also  an  infinitely  momentous 
event.  Some  look  at  it  with  indifference,  as  a  thing  of 
course :  but  the  wise  man  sees  he  is  going  to  an  eter- 
nal state — to  an  awful  tribunal.  He  sees  a  kingdom  of 
glory  preparing  for  him  :  he  sees  also  an  alternative,  a 
place  of  eternal  punishment. 

"  Yes,"  says  one,  "  death  is  coming  on  ;  every  one 


76  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

must  die !"  If  a  brute  could  speak,  it  would  only  speak 
thus.  An  enlightened  man  finds  he  is  going  into  an 
eternal  and  unchangeable  state :  the  question  therefore 
is,  To  what  place  is  the  departed  gone  ?  This  is  a 
most  important  and  solemn  inquiry.  "Man,"  says 
Job,  "giveth  up  the  ghost,  and  where  is  he  ?"  This  is 
one  of  the  grand  subjects  our  Saviour  dwelt  on.  Christ 
spake  more  on  the  subject  of  the  eternal  world  than 
any  who  went  before  him.  Now,  says  the  enlightened 
man,  I  learn  from  my  Divine  Master,  that  when  a  rich 
man  dies  he  not  only  leaves  his  pomp  and  state  behind 
him,  but  that  if  he  departs  like  Dives,  he  lifts  up  his 
eyes  in  hell,  being  in  torments !  How  infinitely  mo- 
mentous therefore,  and  how  important  is  it,  to  be  pre- 
pared and  fitted  for  a  future  state  !  How  should  we 
work  out  our  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling !  The 
man  that  neglects  this  is  like  a  madman !  For,  should 
he  not  reflect,  that  the  change  which  takes  place  in  his 
departure  will  be  an  eternal  one  ?  that  the  tribunal,  to 
which  he  must  be  brought,  will  pronounce  an  irreversi- 
ble sentence  ?  that  the  most  important  of  all  alternatives 
is  suspended  upon  it — eternal  happiness,  or  eternal 
misery  ?     But  I  proceed  to  consider, 

11.  Wherein  this  readiness  for  our  departure 
consists. 

Let  us  consider  it,  1st,  negatively.  This  readiness 
for  departure  certainly  does  not  consist  in  a  man's 
being  weary  of  life,  and  therefore  wishing  to  die.  If 
this  were  readiness  for  death,  then  every  poor  wretch 
who  commits  suicide,  might  be  accounted  ready  to 
die ;  not  considering  that  all  the  miseries  and  anxieties 
of  life  are  better  than  the  alternative  of  rushing  un- 
prepared into  an  endless  eternity  ! 

Nor,  2ndly,  does  it  consist  in  a  thoughtless  acquies- 


,     THE    CHRISTIAN    CONTEMPLATING    DEATH.  77 

cence  with  Providevce ;  saying,  with  a  cold,  careless 
acquiescence  in  that  which  cannot  be  avoided — "Why, 
everybody  must  die  :"  "We  must  all  die  :" — language 
thoughtlessly  used,  without  any  seriousness  or  sensi- 
bility of  mind.  I  have  been  astonished  to  hear  some 
intelligent,  though  unconverted  men,  talk  of  death  as 
though  it  were  nothing  more  than  the  laying  them- 
selves down  in  their  beds  to  sleep !  They  seemed  not 
to  be  at  all  aware  that  they  had  an  account  to  render 
up ;  and  that  God  has  said,  "  The  wicked  shall  be 
turned  into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God  !'* 
Psalm  ix.  17. 

Nor,  Srdly,  is  a  disposition  to  change  to  another  scene 
of  things — a  vague  desire  to  enter  into  another  place 
of  existence — the  state  of  mind  required.  If  a  beggar 
were  suddenly  to  be  made  a  king,  how  mad  would  it 
be  not  to  prepare  for  so  great  a  change  of  circumstan- 
ces !  Nor  is  the  idea  which  some  have,  that  when 
they  come  to  die,  they  shall  be  made  ready  for  it, 
enough.  Nor  is  it  enough  to  be  found  living  among 
them  that  are  ready.  Do  not  build  upon  profession, — 
like  the  man  without  the  wedding  garment :  his  con- 
science told  him  he  was  wrong  :  "  he  was  speechless." 

Young  persons,  who  have  godly  parents,  I  now 
particularly  address  myself  to  you !  Yours  is  an  in- 
estimable privilege :  but  you  must  beware  of  thinking 
that  because  your  parents  are  ready  for  their  departure, 
you  yourselves  are  ready  to  follow  them :  that  because, 
as  a  family,  you  have  been  united  together  in  Time, 
you  will  therefore,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be  united 
together  in  Eternity.  The  place  where  we  shall  dwell 
hereafter  will  be  determined,  not  by  our  relation  to  our 
fellow-creatures,  but  by  our  relation  to  God.  There- 
fore, 


78  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

2ndly.  Let  us  consider  positively  wherein  this  readi- 
ness for  our  departure  does  consist. 

The  Scripture  not  only  gives  us  a  true  account  of 
the  "  change,"  the  great  event  which  must  take  place 
with  regard  to  all,  but  it  also  clearly  describes  the 
proper  frame  of  mind,  the  position  in  which  a  man 
should  be  found  waiting  for  his  departure.  This  is  a 
state  of  mind  the  reverse  of  indifference,  carelessness, 
or  presumption :  it  is  rather  that  of  him  who  says,  I 
will  act  as  one  who  has  every  thing  at  stake  ! — I  have 
great  interests  to  secure  !  To  be  "  ready  to  depart," 
we  must  have  been  awakened  to  a  sense  of  our  guilt 
and  danger ;  and  been  led  to  see  that  we  need  to  be 
redeemed.  We  must  have  fled  for  refuge  to  Christ, 
and  committed  our  souls,  by  faith  and  love,  into  the 
hands  of  this  Saviour,  as  St.  Paul  did.  We  find  him 
saying,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  per- 
suaded that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  1  have 
committed  unto  him  against  that  day.'*  q.  d.  I  have 
committed  to  him  my  soul  to  be  redeemed — my  body 
to  be  raised — my  character  to  be  justified :  I  have 
committed  to  him  all  I  have,  and  all  I  am ;  and  now,  I 
have  nothing  to  do  but  "  to  depart."  There  is  but  one 
way  of  travelling  to  heaven :  every  Christian  goes  the 
way  which  St.  Paul  did :  and  if  we  have  been  united 
to  Christ,  by  faith,  we  may  come  this  day  to  the  table 
of  the  Lord,  to  commemorate  the  great  atonement 
wherein  we  place  all  our  hopes ;  trusting  only  in  his 
sacrifice,  made  once  for  all.  Being  ready  for  death,  is 
positively  receiving  the  whole  counsel  of  God  :  not 
only  receiving  the  atonement,  but  being  renewed  by 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  having  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ ; 
having  the  spirit  and  temper  of  heaven ;  being  made 
meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.  The 
two  verses  which  follow  the  text  comprehend  the  whole 


THE    CHRISTIAN    CONTEMPLATING    DEATH.  79 

of  this.  St.  Paul  says,  "  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I 
have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith ;  hence- 
forth there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness, 
which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at 
that  day  :  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also 
that  love  his  appearing." 

However  enthusiasts  or  hypocrites  may  bring  dis- 
grace on  religious  assurance,  yet  the  Scriptures  say 
there  is  such  a  thing;  and  they  show  this  not  only  by 
precept,  but  example.  They  show  the  earnestness  of 
heart,  in  seeking  spiritual  blessings  which  leads  to  this. 
The  Scriptures  mark  the  earnestness  of  a  true  charac- 
ter. See  it  exemplified,  not  only  in  St.  Paul,  but  in 
Zaccheus,  the  jailer  of  Philippi,  and  Lydia.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Scriptures  teach  us  the  mistake  of  the 
foolish  virgins,  saying,  "  Lord,  open  to  us  !"  to  whom, 
w^ith  all  their  profession,  the  Lord  says,  "  I  know  you 
not."  But  there  is  a  state  of  assured  faith,  which  is 
the  privilege  of  every  true  believer.  He  may  say — I 
am  ready  to  depart ;  God  has  revealed  to  me  the* 
scheme  of  redemption,  and  I  have  closed  in  with  it. 
Therefore,  "  who  shall  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justifieth :  who  is  he  that 
condemneth  ?"  And  I  can  therefore  commit  every 
thing  to  him ;  for  he  has  said,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee, 
nor  forsake  thee."  But  without  this  earnestness  of 
heart,  there  can  be  no  true  readiness  for  our  departure. 

I  shall  conclude  by  addressing  myself.  First,  to  many 
as  he  is  sinking  into  the  grave :  Secondly,  to  man,  as 
he  is  taught  to  rise  above  it. 

1st.  Every  man  may  adopt  the  language  of  one  part 
of  the  text — and  say,  "  The  time  of  my  departure  is  at 
hand."  But  how  insensible,  how  ignorant  of  the  con- 
sequences, are  most  men !  How  disregardful  of  the 
way  and  means  of  safety !     I  have  been  shocked  to 


80  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

hear  the  ignorance  of  persons  on  their  dying  beds,  say- 
ing, I  have  made  my  peace  with  God :  when,  alas  ! 
they  have  had  no  idea  what  that  peace  means,  nor  any 
knowledge  of  the  Peace-maker !  But  what  has  struck 
me  more  is,  that  some  of  those  persons  have  been  my 
hearers  for  a  great  number  of  years  ;  and  I  ask  myself — ' 
How  can  this  be  ?  I  certainly  do  not  make  known  the 
whole  counsel  of  God ! — or  I  do  not  urge  it  on  the 
heart  and  conscience  as  I  ought !  Surely,  I  am. idle  ! — 
I  have  sometimes  been  rendered  very  uneasy  on  this 
account :  but,  at  the  same  time,  I  have'  recollected  that 
others,  who  certainly  did  make  known  the  whole  coun- 
sel of  God,  had  the  same  thing  to  lament.  Did  not 
Christ  preach  the  Gospel  aright  ?  Did  he  not  declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God  to  sinners  ?  And  yet  he 
wept  over  Jerusalem :  "  Oh  that  thou  hadst  known,  at 
least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that  belong  to  thy 
peace !"  See  also  Mark  iii.  5.  St.  Paul  certainly 
preached  the  Gospel :  and  yet  he  speaks  of  it  as  '*  a 
savor  of  death  unto  death,"  as  well  as  '*  a  savor  of  life 
unto  life/'  Man  is  the  same  inconsiderate  creature 
still.  It  must,  therefore,  be  the  alone  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God.  He  alone  can  give  life  to  the  dry  bones.  See 
Ezek.  xxxvii. 

Vanity  is  stamped  on  every  thing  here:  neverthe- 
less, earthly  good  is  commonly  regarded  by  its  pos- 
sessor— as  the  enthusiast  regards  his  dream — as  if  it 
were  something  solid ;  till  experience  has  convinced 
him  of  his  error.  "I  have  no  comfoirt" — said  a  great 
man  who  had  built  himself  a  splendid  mansion,  and  laid 
out  his  grounds — "  because  I  meet  death  in  every  walk : 
I  may  soon  be  removed,  and  I  know  not  who  may 
follow  me." 

We  must  have  victory  over  death  :  but  what  is  this 
victory  ?     Surely  ignorance  is   no  victory :   careless 


THE    CHRISTIAN    CONTEMPLATING    DEATH.  81 

indifference  is  no  victory  !  Victory  is  taking  away  a 
man's  fears — his  distresses — his  temptations  :  it  is  being 
supported  under,  or  carried  through  them,  and  in  the 
end,  made  more  than  a  conqueror  through  him  who 
loved  us.  This  victory  is  given :  it  must  be  received  : 
we  glorify  God  by  receiving  the  word  of  promise. 
The  word  of  Christ,  the  work  of  Christ,  and  the  Spirit 
of  Christ  effect  this  victory:  then,  there  will  be  praise: 
there  will  be  devotedness.  Where  there  is  victory,  it 
will  be  in  exercise ;  in  health,  in  sickness,  in  life,  and 
in  death  !  Turn  to  the  alone  method  of  victory,  Job 
xxxiii.  24,  "  I  have  found  a  ransom."  Oh,  pray  to  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  open  the  eyes  of  3^our  understanding, 
that  you  may  know  both  your  disease,  and  also  your 
remedy ! 

2ndly.  I  would  address  such  as  are  rising  above  the 
grave. 

The  man  who  sees  an  inundation  sweeping  every 
thing  away,  is  led  to  ask — Where  must  I  stand  ?  He 
naturally  looks  out  for  the  highest  object.  Such  a 
standing  is  proposed  to  us  in  the  friendship  of  God. 
When  any  one  makes  a  friend  of  a  great  character,  he 
is  said  to  be  "a  made  man."  But  what  is  all  this? 
Man  is  vain,  and  turning  to  dust!  look  at  the  favorites 
of  princes,  Wolsey,  and  others  !  But  if  I  am  warranted 
to  depend  on  the  friendship  of  God,  and  to  believe  that 
"  all  the  promises  are  yea,  and  amen,  in  Christ  Jesus," 
— that  the  price  of  my  redemption  is  paid, — my  privi- 
lege is  this,  that  "  death  is  gain :"  my  present  losses, 
under  Providence,  are  gain.  I  may  be  shut  up  in  a 
dungeon ;  but  the  union,  and  communion,  which  be- 
longs to  this  friendship,  cannot  be  cut  off.  I  can  call, 
and  he  shall  answer  me ; — and  that,  with  an  earth- 
quake !  as  in  the  case  of  Paul  and  Silas.     And  if  this 

is  my  portion,  then  I  may  say,  with  the  prophet  Hab- 

4* 


82  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

akkuk,  "Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither 
shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall 
fail,  and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  yet,  I  will  re- 
joice in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salva- 
tion."— One  firm  friend  is  enough :  a  covenant  God, 
in  Christ  Jesus,  is  that  friend.  Here  is  a  remedy  for 
your  dying  state — "  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also  ;" 
I  live  as  your  responsible  friend :  I  ever  live  to  make 
intercession :  I  will  provide  a  pillow  for  your  dying 
head :  you  shall  be  enabled  to  rest  it  on  the  pillow  of 
Omnipotence ! 

Come,  then,  this  day  to  the  supper  of  your  Lord  and 
Master,  confessing  that  you  are  not  worthy  to  gather 
up  the  crumbs  under  his  table  ;  and  yet,  rejoicing,  that 
there  is  a  way  of  redemption — a  narrow  path — but 
safe.  Come  to  honor  a  crucified  Saviour,. by  accept- 
ing the  pledge  granted  ;  and  in  order  that  you  may  be 
strengthened  and  established  by  receiving  the  sacred 
elements  of  bread  and  wine.  Come,  that  having  re- 
ceived spiritual  life,  you  may  receive  it  more  abun- 
dantly ;  and  that  when  called  hence,  you  may  be  en- 
abled to  adopt  the  words  of  the  text,  *'  For  I  am  now 
ready  to  be  oflfered  :" — and  though  "  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand,"  I  go  where  I  shall  no  longer 
walk  by  faith,  but  have  a  clear  vision — an  uninter- 
rupted enjoyment  of  God !  where  I  shall  no  longer 
need  means  and  ordinances,  and  hold  communion  with 
God  in  the  Church  below,  but  join  the  Church  of  the 
Redeemed  above,  who  see  his  face,  and  sing  his  praise 
for  evermore  ! 


MORTALITY    SWALLOWED    UP    OF    LIFE.  83 

MORTALITY  SWALLOWED  UP  OF  LIFE. 

Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  is  the  death  of  his  saints. — Psalm 

cxvi.  15.  [1807.] 

We  are  creatures  travelling  so  fast  to  death,  that 
every  day  tells  us  of  some  friend  gone  :  at  the  same 
time,  we  are  creatures  so  responsible,  that  every  one, 
small  and  great,  must  stand  before  God  to  give  ac- 
count. Death  is  a  vast  event :  we  find  Job  calling  it 
a  "  change."  In  the  case  of  the  righteous,  it  is  called 
entering  into  peace  :  Isa.  Ivii.  1. — To  them  death  is 
"gain:"  Phil.  i.  21. — Not  only  their  lives,  but  their 
death  is  "precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord." 

But  of  what  importance  is  the  death  of  a  saint  in 
the  sight  of  the  world  ?  Is  it  not  as  the  death  of  an 
ascetic  ?  A  minister  of  Christ  must  not  speak  with 
regard  to  the  sentiments  of  the  world,  either  in  this 
case,  or  in  any  other.  Every  thing  has  a  littleness  in 
it  till  it  is  connected  in  our  minds  with  God,  The 
beggar  Lazarus  might  not  be  much  thought  of,  either 
in  life  or  death  ;  but  we  learn  from  Scripture,  that  he 
was  one  of  God's  saints  ;  for,  when  he  died,  he  was 
"  carried  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom."  To 
such  a  man  as  this,  we  may  say,  Be  of  good  cheer, 
thou  art  a  King's  son  !  There  is  a  dignity  in  his  per- 
son :  he  belongs  to  "  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people." — 1  Peter 
ii.  9.  He  may  die  in  obscurity,  in  darkness,  but  djung 
**  in  the  Lord,"  he  shall  be  safe  and  happy  forever. 
In  answer,  therefore,  to  the  question — What  is  the 
death  of  a  saint  in  the  sight  of  the  world  ? — a  minister 
of  Christ,  as  instructed  by  the  word  of  God,  will  an- 
swer by  saying  only.  What  it  is  in  God's  sight.  He 
will  say,  There  is  another  member  of  Christ  '*  taken 


J54  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

from  the  evil  to  come."  *'  Blessed  are  the  dead  that 
die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  :  yea,  saith  the  Spirit, 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works, 
do  follow  them."  It  is  the  servant  of  God,  who,  hav- 
ing finished  the  work  he  had  to  do,  is  called  to  receive 
that  blessed  sentence — "  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord."— Matt.  xxv.  34. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  show, 

I.  That  the  death  of  the  saints  does  not  take 

PLACE  BUT  BY  THE   LoRd's  SPECIAL  APPOINTMENT  I 

II.  That  when  it  does  take  place,  it  is  specially 

DEAR  TO  him. 

The  "  Saints  ?"  Who  are  they  ?  Certainly  not  all 
who  may  call  themselves  so :  otherwise,  hypocrites 
would  come  under  that  name.  The  word  saint  signi- 
fies a  holy,  or  godly  person  ;  one  that  is  so  by  profes- 
sion, covenant,  and  conversation.  Though,  in  the 
w^orld's  vocabulary,  the  word  "  saint "  is  a  term  of  re- 
proach, it  is  in  reality  an  honorable  title,  and  signifies 
one  that  is  set  apart  for  God — one,  that  while  he  lives 
in  the  world,  lives  above  it.    Psalm  xvi.  3  ;  Heb.  vi.  10. 

It  is  also  applied  to  those  blessed  spirits  who  are 
permitted  by  God  to  partake  of  everlasting  glory  and 
blessedness.  Rev.  xviii.  24. — It  is  sometimes  applied 
to  the  holy  angels  :  Deut.  xxxiii.  2. — But,  in  the  text,  it 
means  those  who  have  received  mercy :  they  are  the 
same  whom  our  Lord  calls  "blessed,"  Matt.  v.  1 — 12. 
.  They  are  precious ;  they  are  separated  by  divine  grace, 
and  "  called  to  be  saints."  Such  are  precious  in  their 
example,  as  lights  in  the  world :  Matt.  v.  14 ;  in 
their  usefulness ;  in  their  person,  and  interests :  "  He 
that  toucheth  you,  toucheth  the  apple  of  mine  eye :" 
Zech.  ii.  8. — This  respects  their  lives ;  but,  in  their 


MORTALITY    SWALLOWED    UP    OF    LIFE.  85 

death,  there  appears  to  be  no  difference.  Many  char- 
acters shine  Hke  meteors  while  they  live :  such  a  one 
was  Jehu:  '*Come  and  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord  !" — 
But,  when  you  come  to  the  death  of  such  characters, 
there  is  something  so  degrading :  death  revels  in  the 
'*  last  end  "  of  the  ungodly :  it  seems  to  mock,  and  say, 
Where  are  you  now  ?  But  not  so,  the  death  of  the 
saints ;  that  cannot  take  place  but  by  the  Lord's  spe- 
cial appointment ;  and,  when  it  does  take  place,  it  is 
specially  dear  to  him. 

The  death  of  the  saints  is  precious  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  as  it  is  timely,  and  in  season :  God  has  ordered 
the  time  in  wisdom,  and  in  mercy. 

What !  may  some  exclaim,  ''timely  "  and  ^'seasona- 
ble,'" when,  perhaps,  the  saint  dies  in  the  midst  of  use- 
fulness, and  when  the  happiest  prospects  are  presenting 
themselves  !     Can  you  call  this  "  seasonable  ?" 

Brethren  !  It  is  not  for  us  to  know  the  times  and 
the  seasons.  Our  whole  life,  when  compared  to  eter- 
nity, is  but  a  moment.  But,  with  God,  there  is  no  dis- 
order :  all  things  are  appointed.  If  a  parent  should 
send  for  a  child  from  school  long  before  his  usual  time  ; 
what  is  this  ?  If,  to  fix  it  in  a  situation  to  advantage, 
though  before  the  expected  time,  can  you  wonder  ?  It 
is  gracious,  as  regards  the  subject  removed ;  and  as  re- 
gards ourselves,  it  may  convince  us  how  little  we  can 
build  upon  creature  comforts :  the  best  is  but  a  loan. 
What  do  you  say  to  Abel  being  taken,  and  Cain 
spared  ?  You  may  be  assured  that  Abel  was  blessed, 
and  God  was  determined  to  plant  him  in  the  Garden 
above,  for  which  he  had  prepared  him.  Such  provi- 
dences may  also  say  to  us,  '*  Be  ye  also  ready ;"  ye, 
especially,  who  have  had  many  warnings  :  old  age  may 
be  warned,  when  youth  is  snatched  away. 

The  death  of  the  saints  is  specially  dear  to  the  Lord; 


86  '  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

for  they  are  his  "jewels ;"  Mai.  iii.  17 ;  therefore,  they 
are  taken  care  of,  and  put  into  a  place  of  security. 
They  are  his  choice  wheat:  therefore  they  are  season- 
ably gathered  into  his  garner.  When  the  fruit  is 
brought  forth,  immediately  he  putteth  in  the  sickle, 
because  the  harvest  is  come."  It  is  said  to  them — 
before  experiencing  blights — "  Enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord:"  there  shall  be  an  end  of  conflict,  an  end 
of  sin,  an  end  of  sorrow ;  they  sleep  in  Jesus  ;  and  pre- 
cious in  the  sight  of  the  Bridegroom,  is  the  sight  of  the. 
Bride. 

The  saints  are  honorable  in  their  departure :  **  Since 
thou  wast  precious  in  my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honora- 
ble :"  Isa.  xliii.  4.  Jacob  was  in  a  post  of  honor  when 
he  exclaimed,  "I  have  waited  for  thy  salvation,  O 
Lord !"  He  was  a  dying  witness  for  God,  when  he 
gave  this  testimony  of  his  faith :  and  it  will  be  a  token 
of  our  preparation  for  death,  if  we  can  speak  the  same 
language  ;  as  many  other  saints  have  done.  Men,  who 
have  never  considered  what  is  the  high  privilege  of  a 
saint,  in  being  able  to  say  with  St.  Paul,  "  For  we  know 
that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dis- 
solved, we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens,"  can  never  under- 
stand the  blessedness  of  those  that  die  in  the  Lord ; 
nor  that  joyful  assurance  which  is  an  earnest  of  their 
inheritance.  Such  honor  belongeth  unto  the  saints : 
the  world  can  neither  give,  nor  promise,  such  things. 
Heb.  xi.  13 — 16. 

The  death  of  the  saints  is  advantageous  to  them,  in 
bringing  them  to  a  place,  and  point,  to  which  the  eye 
of  their  faith  has  ever  been  directed  !  *'  They  shall 
see  his  face ;  and  his  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads." 
Rev.  xxii.  4.  St.  John  was  commanded  to  write,  by  a 
voice  from  heaven,  saying,   "  Blessed  " — - — Who  are 


MORTALITY    SWALLOWED    UP    OF    LIFE.  87 

blessed  ?  the  great,  the  honorable,  the  rich  ?  No  ! 
"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  hence- 
forth !" — They  have  now  exchanged  faith  for  sight, 
and  understand  the  whole  history  of  the  matter :  God 
has  taken  them  in  wisdom  as  well  as  mercy ;  taken 
them  from  the  evil  to  come.  God  has  seen  fit^to  re- 
move them  from  temptation  and  toil :  the  Son,  that  is 
come  of  age,  is  introduced  to  his  inheritance.  And 
God  removes  the  fear  of  death ;  so  that  they  expire, 
saying,  "  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where 
is  thy  victory  ?"  Now,  Christ's  prayer  is  fulfilled  : — 
"  Father,  I  will  that  they  also,  whom  thou  hast  given 
me,  be  with  me  where  I  am ;  to  behold  my  glory." 
John  xvii.  24. — Now,  they  enter  into  his  courts : 
"  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and 
serve  .him  day  and  night  in  his  temple."  Rev.  vii. 
13 — 17.  Now,  they  see  the  fulfilment  of  all  the  prom- 
ises ;  now,  they  see  the  face  of  God :  "  Blessed  are 
the  pure  in  heart ;  for  they  shall  see  God,"  (Matt.  v.  8,) 
"  and  his  name  shall  be  on  their  foreheads."  God  has 
made  a  distinction,  a  real  difference  in  them  here  be- 
low :  so  it  is  said,  (Ezek.  ix.  4,)  "  Set  a  mark  upon  the 
foreheads  of  the  men  that  sigh,  and  that  cry  for  the 
abominations  that  are  done  in  the  midst  thereof:"  and 
Rev.  vii.  3,  the  angel  was  commanded,  '■  Saying,  Hurt 
not  the  earth,  neither  the  sea,  nor  the  trees,  till  we 
have  sealed  the  servants  of  our  God  in  their  foreheads." 
But  hereafter,  "  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament."  Dan.  xii.  3.  "  Him  that 
overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my 
God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out :  and  I  will  write 
upon  him  the  name  of  my  God,  and  the  name  of  the 
city  of  my  God,  which  is  New  Jerusalem,  which  cometh 
down  out  of  heaven  from  mv  God:  and  I  will  write 
upon  him  my  new^  name."  Rev.  iii.   12.     To  under- 


88  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

stand  fully  the  meaning  of  these  promises,  we  must 
wait  for  their  fulfilment :  but  we  may  say  in  anti- 
cipation, "  As  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  right- 
eousness :  I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake  with  thv 
likeness." 

There  is  a  great  mistake  which  is  often  made. 
People  are  very  anxious  to  know  how  their  friends 
depart :  i.  e.  they  are  very  anxious  about  a  mere  cir- 
cumstance :  now,  instead  of  this,  we  should  be  anxious 
to  know  how  they  lived.  Tell  me  not  how  a  man 
died,  but  how  he  lived.  If  we  have  fought  the  Lord's 
battles — if  we  have  run  with  patience  the  race  set  be- 
fore us — we  may  be  very  easy  about  the  mere  circum- 
stances of  death.  Saint  Paul  said,  "  1  have  fought  a 
good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course ;  henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth 
not  away."  If  we  can  say  thus,  we  may  be  very  easy 
about  dvino;  hours,  and  leave  them  to  God.  If  clothed 
with  the  garments  of  salvation,  we  need  not  be  anxious 
as  to  the  time  or  manner  of  our  summons  ;  but  say 
with  David,  in  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  "  Yea,  though 
I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I 
will  fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me  ;  thy  rod  and 
thy  staff  they  comfort  me  :"  which  was  wonderfully 
experienced  by  the  Christian  brother*  whose  loss  we 
have  so  much  cause  to  lament.  You  will  all  allow 
that  he  lived  in  the  Lord,  and  I  am  well  convinced 
that  he  died  in  the  Lord.  We  must  all  die  ;  but  neither 
preacher,  nor  hearer,  has  this  truth  sufficiently  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind  :  but  if  we  are  of  those  who  are 
washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  we  shall  indeed  be 
blessed,  whether  called  sooner  or  later  to  pass  through 
the  valley  of  death. 

My  dear  hearers,  let  us  consider  what  a  privilege  it 

♦  The  Hon.  and  Rev.  W.  B.  Cadogan. 


MORTALITY    SWALLOWED    UP    OF    LIFE.  89 

is  to  be — what  the  world  scorns — a  Saint !  The  point 
is  not,  whether  we  die  in  pain  and  misery,  or  more 
quietly  :  it  is  not,  whether  we  die  in  joy  or  sorrow,  in 
poverty  or  affluence :  these  are  mere  circumstances  : 
the  grand  question  is — What  is  our  state  before  God  ? 
Many  of  the  saints  have  had  great  conflicts  in  their  dying 
hours  :  our  blessed  Saviour  expired  under  agony,  and 
after  suffering  the  hiding  of  his  Father's  face  : — but  to 
die,  commending  his  soul  to  God,  as  Christ  did,  is  what 
every  Christian  should  desire. 

There  is  one  question  which  may  be  put  to  the  an- 
cient and  modern  heathen  : — "  Can  you  tell  me  how  to 
meet  death  ?"  What  can  you  say  to  the  purpose  on 
this  subject  ?  Whatever  does  not  meet  such  a  case  as 
this,  is  mockery  : — it  is  a  lie  !  To  an  awakened  man, 
who  has  not  received  God's  remedy,  death  is  the  most 
dreadful  evil ! — But  how  precious  is  the  Gospel,  when 
it  puts  death  into  the  rich  inventory  of  a  Christian ! 
*'  All  things  are  yours  ;  whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or 
Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present, 
or  things  to  come  :  all  are  yours  ;  and  ye  are  Christ's  ; 
and  Christ  is  God's."  1  Cor.  iii.  22,  23.  How  should 
we  contend,  not  for  the  "  letter,"  but  for  the  "  spirit" 
of  the  Gospel,  that  can  make  even  death  a  blessing  to  us! 

What  a  miserable  nnistake  does  the  world  inake  in 
saying  that  melancholy  is  the  effect  of  Gospel  truth  ! 
If  death  were  only  to  happen  to  the  saints,  there  would 
be  some  color  for  such  a  sentiment.  But  "  death  reign- 
eth  from  Adam  to  Moses."  Man  is  a  sinner,  and 
therefore  a  sufferer,  whether  he  believes  the  Gospel  or 
not. 

"  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of 
his  saints  :"  here  is  solid  rock.  We  should  commit 
the  article  of  death  to  him  :  it  is  his  affair  more  than  it 
is  ours  :   too  many  judge  of  death  by  their  senses :  a 


90  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

weak  believer,  seeing  others  fear,  is  apt  to  say,  "  What 
if  my  faith  should  fail,  when  I  come  to  die  !"  I  repeat 
it,  leave  this  article  of  death  to  Him  to  whom  it  be- 
longs :  He  has  said,  it  is  precious  in  his  sight.  Get 
more  acquainted  with  him  who  has  conquered  death, 
and  every  other  enemy  of  his  people.  Death  is  only 
a  servant  whom  the  Lord  will  send  for  every  one  of 
us.  If  you  are  seeking  Gospel  privileges,  confess  they 
are  realities ;  and  assert  that  you  have  found  them  so. 
To  him  that  testifieth,  "  Surely  I  come  quickly,''  we 
should  be  ready  to  echo  back,  with  the  Church,  "Even 
so,  come,  Lord  Jesus." 

[Preached  at  Long- Acre  Chapel,  Wednesday,  Jan.  25,  after  the  death 
of  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  W.  B.  Cadogan,  who  died  Jan.  18, 1797,  aged  46.] 


THE  LORD'S  DELIGHT  IN  HIS  PEOPLE. 

Since  thou  wast  precious  in  my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honorable,  and  I 

have  loved  thee. — Isa.  xhii.  4.  [1795.] 

Though  the  Church  has  often  been  distressed,  yet 
she  has  ever  had  for  her  support  precious  promises. 
....  The  words  of  the  text  lead  to  the  following 
Proposition,  namely. 

The  Lord  will  adorn  the  soul  that  he  loves  : 
hence  we  may  discover  who  are  the  chosen  people  of 
God. 

There  are  some  truths  in  the  Scriptures  that  stand 
on  their  own  foundation, — that  stand  on  the  veracity 
of  the  Speaker.  Other  truths  of  Scripture  may  be 
illustrated,  proved,  supported  :  namely,  such  as  de- 
scribe man  as  mortal,  &c.  ;  but,  with  respect  to  such 


THE    lord's    delight    IN    HIS    PEOPLE.  91 

passages  as  that  in  the  text,  the  Word  is  to  be  the  rule 
and  touchstone.  The  enemy  has  at  all  times  a  most 
wonderful  skill  in  raising  a  cloud  in  a  Christian's  mind  : 
but,  let  it  be  remembered,  God  saith,  "  I  have  loved 
thee  with  an  everlasting  love  :"  and  "  since  thou  wast 
precious  in  my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honorable." 

If  a  man  ask.  How  can  one  be  more  precious  than 
his  neighbor  ?  the  answer  is,  God  has  said  it.  The 
Prophet  Ezekiel  describes,  chapter  xvi.,  under  the  si- 
militude of  a  wretched  infant,  loathed  and  cast  out,  the 
natural  state  of  Jerusalem  ;  and  verse  6,  God's  aston- 
ishing grace  and  mercy  to  her  :  "  I  said  unto  thee, 
when  thou  wast  in  thy  blood,  Live."  And,  from  the 
8th  to  the  15th  verse,  God  is  stating,  by  the  Prophet, 
how  this  wretched  infant  was  taken  into  covenant,  and 
afterwards  adorned.  "  /  clothed  thee  with  broidered 
work  ;  /  decked  thee  also  with  ornaments  ;"  I  brought 
thee  into  the  state  in  which  thou  now  art,  and  made 
thee  "  honorable  :"  I  acted  towards  thee  a  part  far  be- 
yond that  of  the  good  Samaritan.     Luke  x.  30. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  true  Israelite  is  not 
of  the  same  vile  stock  as  others.  All  have  sinned  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  But  God,  by  the 
operation  of  his  grace,  has  called  them,  and  chosen 
them,  and  they  become  precious  in  his  sight,  even  his 
''jewels,"  Mai.  iii.  17.— his  "vineyard,"  Isa.  v.  Ob- 
serve, it  is  not  the  Preacher,  but  the  Lord,  who  says 
they  are  precious.  Our  Saviour  says,  "  Ye  have  not 
chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you  and  ordained  you, 
that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit."  John  xv.  16. 
God's  people  are  precious  in  their  birth  :  see  Jer.  i.  .5 ; 
Gal.  i.  15  ;  Hosea  xii.  3  ;  Psa.  Ixxi.  6  ;  Isa.  xlvi.  3. 
They  are  precious  in  their  life :  see  1  Pet.  ii.  9  ;  Psa. 
Ixxii.  14  ;  Lam.  iv.  2  :  and  they  are  precious  in  their 
death:  Psa.  cxvi.  15:  Rev.  xiv.  13. 


92  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

When  the  Lord  takes  a  sinner  out  of  a  sinful  world, 
he  will  adorn  that  soul :  "  Since  thou  wast  precious  in 
my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honorable."  He  makes  all 
such  honorable,  both  by  imputed  and  imparted  right- 
eousness. All  men  are  in  reality  what  they  are  in  the 
sight  of  God.  There  is  a  grand  distinction  marked  in 
the  Scripture  between  the  honor  that  cometh  from 
God,  and  that  which  the  world  calls  honorable.  That 
God  does  adorn  his  saints, — such  as  have  fled  for  refuge 
to  lay  hold  of  the  hope  set  before  them  in  the  Gospel, 
— may  be  seen  by  every  one  that  is  an  observer.  Did 
you  ever  see  a  poor,  foolish,  thoughtless,  wicked  youth, 
following  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and 
the  pride  of  life, — fitting  himself  for  destruction, — deaf, 
as  the  deaf  adder,  to  all  that  friends  could  say,  and 
rushing  on  to  ruin,  as  the  horse  rushes  into  the  battle ; 
— have  you  ever  seen  such  an  one,  when  enlightened 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  become  quite  another  character 
— a  changed  man  ?  What  do  we  see  in  such  a  case  ? 
We  behold  the  blessed  effects  spoken  of  in  the  text : 
we  behold  a  sinner  called  and  chosen  by  the  grace  and 
mercy  of  God  :  a  prodigal  brought  back  to  his  Father  : 
and  then  the  Father  calling  for  the  best  robe  and  put- 
ting it  on  him  :  putting  a  ring  on  his  hand  and  shoes  on 
his  feet.  Now,  though  much  of  this  change  may  be 
seen,  for  you  may  see  some  of  the  effects, — yet  you 
can  see  but  a  part  of  what  is  done :  you  cannot  see  the 
heart :  there  is  infinitely  more  than  you  can  see :  there 
is  communion  with  God  through  Jesus  Christ ;  follow- 
ing the  High  Priest  within  the  vail ; — there  is,  even 
now,  a  crown  of  glory  preparing  for  his  head ;  and, 
whether  we  see  it  or  not,  we  do  well  to  believe  God 
when  he  speaks,  as  in  the  text,  and  declares  that 
his  people  are  "  precious,"  "  honorable,"  and  "  loved." 
And  the  cause  of  all  lies  in  this  :  I  have  adopted  thee — 


THE    lord's    delight    IN    HIS    PEOPLE.  93 

I  have  anointed  thee — I  have  made  thee  a  conqueror — 
I  have  made  thee  an  heir — "  This  people  have  I  formed 
for  myself."  A  transaction  has  passed  between  God 
and  the  soul,  and  a  garment  has  been  thrown  over, 
that  has  produced  a  greater  change  of  state  than  when 
the  mantle  of  Elijah  was  thrown  over  Elisha.  Ephraim 
has  been  taught  to  smite  upon  his  thigh,  and  say,  "  Turn 
thou  me,  and  so  shall  I  be  turned :"  or  to  say,  like  the 
woman  in  the  Gospel,  "  If  I  may  but  touch  the  hem  of 
his  garment  I  shall  be  made  whole."  Now,  being  justi- 
fied by  faith,  and  living  by  faith,  he  walks  on  new 
ground,  and  stands  in  the  position  of  an  adopted  child, 
whom  the  Lord  will  beautify  with  salvation  :  for  "  such 
honor  have  all  his  saints." 

But  some  may  ask.  Are  this  people  held  in  honor 
after  all  ?  First,  you  must  observe  in  whose  sight  they 
are  honorable :  not  in  the  sight  of  the  world,  but  in 
God's  sight :  they  are  also  held  in  honor  by  good  men  : 
but  if  you  ask  me  what  the  world  thinks,  I  would  ask 
you  again.  What  is  there  in  the  world's  opinion  that 
can  touch  the  case  ?  Will  it  depreciate  a  fine  prospect, 
or  a  fine  painting,  or  any  specimen  of  beauty  or  art,  or 
a  fine  piece  of  music, — that  the  blind,  the  idiot,  the 
man  that  has  no  taste,  or  no  ear,  can  discern  nothing 
in  them?  Yet  the  world  stands  in  such  position  in 
regard  to  all  spiritual  objects.  See  1  John  iii.  1.  "Be- 
hold what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  : 
therefore  the  world  knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew 
him  not."  It  saw  nothing  in  the  glory  of  Christ :  it 
called  for  Barabbas  the  robber  instead.  But  whether 
the  world  acknowledge  us  or  not,  God  says,  "  Since 
thou  wast  precious  in  my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honor- 
able, and  I  have  loved  thee.'^ 

If  there  be  one  grace  that  characterizes  a  true  child 


94  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

of  God  more  than  another,  it  is  his  low  view  of  himself, 
even  after  God  has  adorned  him  :  when  he  contemplates 
the  glory  of  Him  who  filleth  the  heaven  of  heavens,  he 
feels  himself  but  vanity  and  dust  before  God ;  and  if  it 
were  not  for  the  "  Fountain  opened  for  sin  and  unclean- 
ness,"  his  view  of  himself  as  a  sinner  would  be  far  more 
humiliating  than  even  the  sense  of  his  meanness  and 
insignificance  as  a  creature.  The  reason  that  some 
persons  think  so  much  of  themselves  is,  because  they 
know  so  little  of  themselves.  We  should  fall  low,  and 
say  with  Jacob,  "  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all 
the  mercies,  and  of  all  the  truth  which  thou  hast  showed 
unto  thy  servant ;"  and,  with  St.  Paul,  "  I  am  less  than 
the  least  of  all  saints."  But  what  then  ?  Does  it  lessen 
the  grace  wherein  we  stand  ?  Our  hope  is,  that  what- 
ever sin  has  made  us,  the  grace  of  God  will  recover  us. 
Let  us,  then,  seek  to  become  partakers  of  this  grace. 
The  way  that  God  usually  takes  to  form  a  man  for 
himself  is  by  first  convincing  him  that  he  has  ruined 
himself,  and  that  his  help  is  only  in  Christ  Jesus.  He 
has  said,  he  will  cast  out  none  that  come  unto  him : 
and  "  he  will  beautify  the  meek  with  salvation." 

The  work  of  sanctification  is  a  gradual  work.  A 
Christian  is  not  formed  at  once,  but  by  a  course  of 
means,  of  which  aflfliction  is  one.  When  a  statuary 
begins  to  work  an  image  out  of  a  block  of  stone,  or 
marble,  it  is  so  rough  and  uncouth,  it  is  impossible  to 
know  what  figure  he  designs  to  make ;  but,  as  he  goes 
on,  the  likeness  comes  out.  This  appears  in  the  life  of 
Job :  "  I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear, 
but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee  :"  by  the  process  of  afflic- 
tion, he  had  learnt  both  to  know  himself  and  God  ;  and 
thus  he  became  adorned  with  humility,  and  filled  with 
adoration. 

Inference. — Is  it  the  Lord's  design  to  adorn  his  people 


THE    lord's    delight    IN    HIS    PEOPLE.  95 

with  the  beauties  of  holiness  ?  Then  let  us  say,  "  The 
Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation  :  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid  ?"  If  I  am  precious  in  his  sight,  let  the  world 
scorn  me :  it  is  the  Lord's  design  to  honor  me  ;  that  is 
enough ;  let  him  do  it  in  his  own  time  and  way.  I  may 
have  to  pass  through  deep  waters — deep  disease — sharp 
trials ;  yet  God  says,  "  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee." 
If  a  man  be  not  an  antinomian  or  a  hypocrite,  but  if  he 
be  walking  with  Christ,  then  let  him  take  comfort  from 
this  subject.  God  has  said,  "  This  people  have  I  formed 
for  myself,  they  shall  show  forth  my  praise."  But  not 
by  ostentation.  How  does  a  great  building  praise  the 
architect?  By  evidencing  his  skill.  So  does  the  Chris- 
tian :  and  in  order  to  this,  how  watchful,  how  holy,  how 
circumspect,  should  be  his  walk  and  conversation,  in 
order  to  glorify  his  Father  who  is  in  heaven  ! 

There  are  some  people  that  resemble  a  scaffolding 
in  the  building  up  of  this  spiritual  house  ;  they  are  hired 
servants,  employed  only  to  carry  on  the  work ;  and 
when  the  house  is  finished,  they  are  taken  down,  and 
laid  by.  Such  are  men  with  great  and  splendid  gifts, 
but  Httle  grace  ;  who  learn  the  language,  but  who  are 
strangers  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel. 

In  conclusion  :  If  such  as  are  precious  in  the  Lord's 
sight  are  honorable,  let  me  call  upon  you  to  adore  the 
goodness  of  our  God  for  making  such  poor  sinners 
precious  in  his  sight ;  and  bringing  them,  in  his  good 
time,  to  glory.  I  call  upon  those  who  have  no  such 
hope  heartily  to  seek  it,  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist, 
"Remember  me,  O  Lord,  with  the  favor  that  thou 
bearest  unto  thy  people :  oh,  visit  me  with  thy  salvation ; 
that  I  may  see  the  good  of  thy  chosen,  that  I  may 
rejoice  in  the  gladness  of  thy  nation,  that  I  may  glory 
with  thine  inheritance."     Psa.  cvi.  4,  5. 


96  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


THE  BABEL-BUILDERS. 

And  the  whole  earth  was  of  one  language,  and  of  one  speech.  And  it 
came  to  pass  as  they  journeyed  from  the  east,  that  they  found  a  plain 
in  the  land  of  Shinar ;  and  they  dwelt  there.  And  they  said  one 
to  another,  Go  to,  let  us  make  brick,  and  burn  them  throughly.  And 
they  had  brick  for  stone,  and  slime  had  they  for  mortar.  And  they 
said,  Go  to,  let  us  build  a  city  and  a  tower,  whose  top  may  reach 
unto  heaven ;  and  let  us  make  us  a  name,  lest  we  be  scattered  abroad 
upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.  And  the  Lord  came  down  to  see 
the  city  and  the  tower,  which  the  children  of  men  builded.  And  the 
Lord  said,  Behold,  the  people  is  one,  and  they  have  all  one  language; 
and  this  they  begin  to  do  :  and  now  nothing  will  be  restrained  from 
them,  which  they  have  imagined  to  do.  Go  to,  let  us  go  down,  and 
there  confound  their  language,  that  they  may  not  understand  one 
another's  speech.  So  the  Lord  scattered  them  abroad  from  thence 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth :  and  they  left  off  to  build  the  city.  Therefore 
is  the  name  of  it  called  Babel ;  because  the  Lord  did  there  confound 
the  language  of  all  the  earth  :  and  from  thence  did  the  Lord  scatter 
them  abroad  upon  the  face  of  all  the  earth, — Gen,  xi.  1 — 9,      [1807.] 

There  have  been  many  curious  remarks  made  upon 
this  part  of  Scripture  history.  Archbishop  Tenison 
thinks  that  the  Tower  of  Babel  was  designed  for  the 
worship  of  the  Sun,  as  the  drier  up  of  the  flood  :  and 
we  have,  in  ancient  history,  many  records  concerning 
its  remains  :  but  I  have  always  considered  that  curious 
conjectures  upon  religious  subjects,  especially  in  ser- 
mons, are  like  the  flowers  which  grow  in  corn-fields, 
pleasant  to  the  eye  of  the  beholder,  but  ruinous  to  the 
possessor  of  the  field.  I  have  sometimes  found,  when 
I  have  begun  to  converse  with  people  upon  matters  of 
the  last  importance  to  their  eternal  welfare,  that  they 
have  wanted  to  turn  aside  to  some  curious  question, 
by  which  the  grand  design  has  been  destroyed :  it  is  a 
snare  to  amuse  with  critical  points,  while  subjects  of 
the  highest  moment  demand  attention. 


THE    BABEL-BUILDERS.  9t 

I  propose,  therefore,  to  consider  only  two  things  in 
this  passage  of  Scripture, 

I.  The  pride  of  man. 
II.  The  power  of  God. 

I.  We  see,  in  this  history,  an  exhibition  of  human 
PRIDE  AND  presumption.  The  project  was  an  earthly 
one  :  "  Go  to" — here  !  here !  let  us  be  as  the  reptiles  ; 
the  earth  is  our  portion ;  and  we  have  no  eye  to  any 
thing  beyond  the  earth.  What  a  picture  is  this  of  man, 
in  every  age !  What  a  poor  crawling  projector  of  a 
little  clay  tenement !  He  projects  something  which  is 
to  satisfy  his  Httle  tiny  soul,  while  the  great  things  of 
God,  and  eternity,  are  quite  forgotten ! 

Then,  he  is  not  only  making  himself  a  reptile,  crawl- 
ing upon  the  earth,  and  looking  upon  that  as  his  portion 
— but,  you  may  remark  this  also  in  man — there  is  a 
self-sufficiency :  "  Go  to,  let  us  build  a  city" — let  us 
erect  a  tower,  and  carry  it  to  so  great  a  height  "  that 
the  top  thereof  may  reach  unto  heaven."  Not  that 
they  projected  so  ridiculous  a  scheme  as  to  carry  this 
building  literally  to  heaven  ;  for  certainly  if  they  had 
formed  such  a  plan,  they  would  not  have  pitched  upon 
a  plain,  but  a  mountain  for  their  project.  But  the 
meaning  is — let  it  be  so  grand,  so  sublime,  so  exalted, 
that  others  may  take  notice  of  it,  and  that  the  top  of 
it  may  seem  to  reach  to  heaven  ! 

Then  here  is  ambition,  which  is  a  part  of  the  pride 
of  this  creature,  crawling  upon  the  earth :  "  Let  us 
make  us  a  name ;"  not  content  with  the  name  of  '*  pil- 
grims and  strangers  upon  earth  ;" — not  considering 
that  they  w^ere  fallen  guilty  creatures,  that  must  look 
to  God  for  "  a  name  better  than  that  of  sons  and  of 
daughters" — No ;  but,  let  us  make  ourselves  a  name. 

Depend  upon  it,  my  dear  hearers,  that  great  projects 

5 


98  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

for  this  world  discover  at  once  the  character  of  the 
projector ;  he  is  of  the  earth,  earthly ;  he  knows  no^ 
himself;  he  knows  not  his  God.  Great  projects  for  a 
dying  world,  show  the  vanity  of  the  projector.  He 
mistakes  utterly  the  way  to  build  :  his  very  foundation 
is  bad : 

"  He  builds  too  low  who  builds  beneath  the  skies."* 

The  great  poet,  Milton,  very  finely  represents  the 
fallen  spirits  when  they  were  roused  out  of  their  leth- 
argy, and  waiting  the  advance  of  their  arch-leader,  as 
very  cunning,  very  busy,  very  ingenious,  very  philoso- 
phical ; — but  without  one  spark  of  real  virtue,  charity, 
or  repentance  !  Oh,  how  like  to  the  picture  of  man  is 
this !  and  how  unlike  to  that  man  who  ceased  to  be  a 
child,  who  put  away  childish  things,  and  became  a  man 
— an  enlightened  man — a  man  of  God  !  How  unlike 
to  those  of  whom  we  read  an  account  in  the  eleventh 
chapter  of  the  Hebrews  !  "  By  faith  Abraham,  when 
he  was  called  to  go  out  into  a  place  which  he  should 
after  receive  for  an  inheritance,  obeyed  ;  and  he  went 
out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went.  By  faith  he  so- 
journed in  the  land  of  promise,  as  in  a  strange  country, 
dwelling  in  tabernacles  with  Isaac  and  Jacob."  He 
did  not  say,  "  Go  to,  go  to,  let  us  build ;"  but  he  dwelt 
in  tents :  he  looked  indeed  for  a  city,  and  a  city  ihat 
hath  foundations  :  but  a  city  "  whose  builder  and  maker 
is  God."  "  These  all  died  in  faith,"  says  the  Apostle, 
**  not  having  received  the  promises,  but  having  seen 
them  afar  off,  and  were  persuaded  of  them,  and  embraced 
them,  and  confessed  that  they  were  strangers  and  pil- 
grims on  the  earth.  For  they  that  say  such  things  de- 
clare plainly  that  they  seek  a  country."     No  surer 

♦  Young's  Night  Thoughts. 


THE    BABEL-BUILDERS.  99 

mark  is  there  of  a  man's  having  received  true  wisdom 
than  that  he  is  willing  to  wait  God's  time,  and  walk  in 
God's  way,  and  satisfy  himself  with  a  reversion;  i.  e. 
the  receiving  of  something  that  at  present  he  can  only 
behold  bv  faith.  But  these  Babel-builders  were,  like 
the  fallen  spirits,  very  busy,  ingenious  creatures,  for- 
getting their  place,  as  sinful,  guilty  worms ;  forgetting 
their  character,  as  undone  perishing  creatures,  who 
yet  have  a  hope  and  prospect  set  before  them  in  the 
word  of  God  ;  forgetting  God's  name,  that  he  is  a  jea- 
lous God,  who  will  cast  contempt  upon  their  proud 
projects ;  and  forgetting  how  very  short  a  time  they 
have  in  which  to  work  out  their  salvation.  In  the 
midst  of  all  this  forget  fulness,  their  pride  would  build  a 
city,  a  tower,  to  make  them  a  name,  to  distinguish  them 
from  other  people ;  and,  at  length,  their  very  tower 
buries  them,  as  it  were,  in  its  ruins  !  And  has  the  name 
of  Babel,  i.  e.  confusion,  to  this  day. 

But  perhaps  we  have  dwelt  too  long  on  these  men, 
and  have  ibrgotten  ourselves.  Are  there  no  Babel- 
builders  now  before  me  ?  Are  there  none  here,  who 
forget  the  true  city,  the  true  tower,  the  true  founda- 
tion ?  and  who  are  crying  incessantly — Let  us  build 
something  that  shall  be  for  our  comfort.  Are  there 
none  here,  who  know  that  they  live  in  a  forgetfulness 
of  God's  word  ?  who  know  that  their  whole  conduct 
runs  counter  to  his  counsel  ?  Are  there  none  here, 
who  forget  their  character  as  dying  creatures,  and 
what  God  has  spoken  to  them  upon  the  subject ;  and 
whose  whole  conduct  is  one  continued  doing  and  un- 
doing ?  You  bring,  for  instance,  your  children  to 
church ;  you  do  right :  you  tell  them  that  what  they 
hear  is  the  truth,  and  that  they  should  regard  it :  but, 
remember,  that  by  your  conduct  at  home  you  undo  all 
the  week  what  they  hear  on  the  Sunday.     Do  not 


100  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

your  sentiments  run  counter  to  the  sentiments  delivered 
to  them  from  the  word  of  truth  ?  and  can  you  think 
that  they  will  prosper  ?  that  they  will  be  enlightened  ? 
Do  you  ever  consider  that  if  by  your  conduct  and  con- 
versation you  undo  what  they  are  taught  from  the 
word  of  God,  your  houses  are  schools  of  Atheism  ? 
You  approve  of  what  is  said  from  the  pulpit ;  but  you 
never  ask — What  can  we  do  for  our  children  in  con- 
nection with  the  word  ?  I  ask  another  question — 
"What  will  ye  do  in  the  end  thereof?"  I  see  the 
Judge  sitting  upon  his  great  white  throne,  and  all  na- 
tions assembled  before  him  ;  I  hear  conscience  speak- 
ing out,  and  calling  you  to  witness  that  you  have  had 
the  truth,  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  brought  home  to  your  con- 
sciences ;  and  your  duty  to  yourself  and  families  en- 
forced— plainly  enforced  :  What  will  ye  do  in  the  end 
thereof  ?  He  is  the  only  wise  man  that  prepares  for 
futurity.  Then,  are  you  not  Babel-builders,  .  saying, 
"  Go  to,  go  to,  let  us  build,  let  us  make  a  city  V  More- 
over, you  have  a  stronger  assurance  and  certainty  than 
these  Babel-builders  had  ;  for  God  has  plainly  told  you 
what  you  are,  and  what  you  are  to  expect ;  he  has  set 
before  you  redemption  in  Christ  Jesus,  in  parables  and 
precepts ;  he  has  told  you  how  foolish  that  man  was 
who  pulled  down  his  barns  and  built  larger,  and  said  to 
his  soul,  "  Soul,  take  thine  ease  !"  He  was  a  Babel- 
builder  !  God  has  shown  you  the  character  of  a  man 
who  was  satisfied  with  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  sump- 
tuous fare  ; — another  Babel-builder  !  He  has  shown 
you  the  history  of  the  Jews  from  that  time  in  which 
they  departed  from  God,  down  to  the  present :  here  are 
men  going  and  selling  themselves  to  a  tyrant,  saying 
what  he  bids  them,  and  denying  the  truth  of  God's 
word  !  What  is  this,  but  telling  us  that  every  Babel 
will,  by  and  by,  prove  a  confusion  to  its  builder  !     But 


THE    BABEL-BUILDERS.  101 

it  is  time  to  turn  our  attention  to  another  consideration 
set  forth  in  this  history,  namely, 

II.   The  power  of  God. 

We  have  God's  mind  upon  these  projects.  God  has 
wise  reasons  for  suffering  an  infatuation  to  arise  and 
mislead  ;  we  may  be,  and  often  are,  astonished  to  see 
to  what  a  length  an  infatuation  may  run  :  to  what  a 
height  a  project  that  enters  the  mind  of  a  set  of  Babel- 
builders  may  be  carried  !  "  Let  us  carry  it,"  say  they, 
"  up  to  heaven !"  Let  us  make  us  a  name  by  it,  and 
set  up  a  monument !  We  are  astonished,  I  repeat,  to 
see  to  what  a  length  it  may  run  ;  but  we  see  only  in 
part,  and  know  but  in  part  :  while  "  a  thousand  years 
are  with  the  Lord  as  one  day,  and  one  day  as  a  thou- 
sand years."  We  see  only  a  very  few  years,  and 
therefore  we  look  with  astonishment.  But  I  think  we 
may  see  from  the  history  before  us,  and  from  the  his- 
tory of  the  present  times  also,  the  necessity  of  the  con- 
tinual interference  of  the  moral  government  and  power 
of  God  :  we  may  see,  that  when  wickedness  combines 
with  v/ickedness  to  support  by  policy  a  mad  project,  if 
God  does  not  interfere — if  God  does  not  say,  "  Hitherto 
shalt  thou  come,  but  no  farther  !"  it  is  impossible  to  say 
what  the  consequences  would  be.  The  world  would 
become  an  Aceldama,  a  field  of  blood.  Men  stand 
astonished  at  that  which  they  see  daily  before  their 
eves,  and  ask  their  neighbors — What  are  we  to  think 
of  this  ?  How  far  will  this  man  go  with  his  projects  ? 
his  ambition  is  unbounded  !  But  nothing  will  be 
effected  that  way.  We  stand,  like  children,  gazing  at 
a  house  on  fire,  and  ask,  How  far  will  this  run  ?  It 
will  burn  down  the  whole  neighborhood  !  Perhaps  it 
will ;  but  your  gazing  will  not  put  it  out  !  There  is  a 
reference  which  should  be  made  to  God,  when  a  Babel- 


102  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

builder  is  projecting  the  ruin  of  all  around  him  :  it 
should  remind  us  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  prayer, 
and  the  only  possible  resource  which  it  presents.  We 
are  put  upon  looking  to  God,  who  can  confound  all 
these  devices.  We  should  imitate  the  disciples  when 
in  a  storm  at  sea  :  their  prospect  was  tremendous  ;  and 
what  could  they  do?  Nothing  at  all :  but  they  remem- 
bered that  their  Master  was  in  the  ship :  they  awake 
him,  and  cry,  "  Lord  !  help  us  !"  see  our  extremity  ! 
*'  and  he  arose  and  rebuked  the  wind  and  the  sea ;  and 
there  was  a  great  calm."  Our  extremity  is  God's 
opportunity.  With  regard  to  the  present  state  of 
things,  as  they  stand  in  England,*  we  are  infatuated 
if  we  do  not  remember  that  God  is  our  help  and 
strength  in  time  of  trouble :  we  seem  reduced  to  apply 
to  God  upon  this  occasion :  we  seem  reminded  to  act 
as  Daniel  acted,  and  to  pray  as  he  did,  "  O,  our  God, 
hear  the  prayer  of  thy  servant,  and  his  supplications, 
and  cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  sanctuary  that  is 
desolate,  for  the  Lord's  sake  !  O,  my  God,  incline 
thine  ear,  and  hear  :  open  thine  eyes,  and  behold  our 
desolations,  and  the  city  which  is  called  by  thy  name  : 
for  we  do  not  present  our  supplications  before  thee  for 
our  righteousness,  but  for  thy  great  mercies." 

In  the  history  before  us,  there  is  something  striking 
in  the  manner  of  God's  interfering  upon  this  occasion  ; 
for  in  the  midst  of  judgment  we  find  him  remembering 
mercy.  He  might  easily  not  only  have  thrown  down 
the  tower,  but  also  crushed  the  builders.  Instead  of 
this,  he  scatters  them  over  the  face  of  the  earth.  They 
hoped  to  be  united  together  by  this  building  :  God 
orders  it  to  be  the  means  of  their  dispersion :  they 
would  set  up  their  name  by  it ;  he  made  the  project  a 
reproach ;  they  would  fain  distinguish  themselves  by 

*  Preached  in  the  year  1807.  " 


THE    BABEL-BUILDERS.  103 

it ;  he  would  cause  it  to  expose  them,  and  gave  it  the 
name  of  Babel,  or  confusion,  to  this  day. 

My  dear  hearers,  let  us  remember,  that  God  has  a 
variety  of  ways  of  confounding  Babel-builders.  We 
often  prescribe  and  say.  It  must  be  this  way :  the  man 
must  be  destroyed — the  tyrant  must  die  ;  such  and 
such  a  method  must  be  pursued  :  our  deliverance  must 
arise  from  such  a  quarter,  or  from  such  a  plan  !  But 
we  know  nothing  of  the  matter  !  we  effectually  mis- 
take when  we  conjecture.  God  has  a  variety  of  ways 
of  confounding  Babel-builders  ;  and  we  effectually  mis- 
take when  we  attempt  to  point  out  the  way  he  will 
take.  But  let  us  remember  that,  sooner  or  later,  he 
will  arise  and  show  that  his  design  shall  take  place. 
And  if  you  ask  me  what  this  design  is,  I  have  only  to 
turn  to  the  second  Psalm,  where  you  may  read  it. 
"  Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  imagine  a 
vain  thing?  The  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves, 
and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together  against  the  Lord, 
and  against  his  anointed,  saying ;  "  Let  us  break  their 
bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us." 
All  the  while  that  this  insolent  language  is  going  for- 
ward in  the  heart  of  man — "  He  that  sitteth  in  the 
heavens  shall  laugh  ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  de- 
rision." As  if  he  had  said,  Ye  poor,  silly,  foolish,  help- 
less children,  put  away  your  childish  things  !  I  shall 
speak  to  you  presently  in  my  wrath,  and  vex  you  in 
my  sore  displeasure  :  for  I  have,  and  will,  set  my  king 
upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.  Christ  shall  be  glorified, 
exalted  :  the  kings  of  the  earth  may  set  themselves, 
and  the  rulers  may  take  counsel  together :  but  I  will 
blast  their  designs  :  they  are  but  a  set  of  Babel-build- 
ers ;  and  I  will  write  confusion  upon  all  their  under- 
takings." 

Oh,  it  is  a  blessed  thing  indeed,  when  God  enables  a 


104  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

man,  from  his  heart,  to  embark  with  him  ! — when  he 
calls  to  a  special  intercom'se  with  himself !  "Come, 
my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut  thy 
doors  about  thee :  hide  thyself  as  it  were,  for  a  little 
moment,  until  the  indignation  be  overpast  1" 

I  think  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  as  the  confusion 
of  tongues  scattered  the  proud  Babel-builders,  so  when 
God  did  undertake  this  work  of  setting  his  king  upon 
his  holy  hill  of  Zion,  the  gift  of  tongues  gathered  to- 
gether the  humble :  he  could  send  a  confusion  of 
tongues  to  destroy  the  proud  projects  of  Babel,  and  he 
could,  and  did  impart  a  variety  of  tongues  to  send  his 
word  over  the  face  of  the  earth.  "  They  went,"  it  is 
said  in  the  Acts,  "  everywhere  preaching  the  word." 
But,  who  were  benefited  by  it  ?  "  Not  many  wise — 
not  many  mighty — not  many  noble :"  it  was  foolish- 
ness to  the  Greek,  and  a  stumbling-block  to  the  Jew ; 
but  to  every  humble  soul,  it  was  the  wisdom  of  God, 
and  the  power  of  God.  And  to  this  day  it  remains 
the  same ;  the  gate  of  life  is  still  strait ;  the  way  is 
still  narrow ;  sense  must  still  be  denied ;  and  if  our 
projects  are  to  purpose,  we  are  working  with  the  help 
of  God.  It  is  as  Christ  has  said — "  If  any  man  will 
come  after  me,  and  hate  not  his  father  and  his  mother, 
yea,  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.** 
But,  savs  he  acrain,  if  you  think  this  too  much — if  vou 
are  not  willing  to  pay  the  price,  you  will  fail.  "  Which 
of  you,  intending  to  build  a  tower,  sitteth  not  down 
first  and  counteth  the  cost,  whether  he  have  sufficient 
to  finish  it?  lest  haply,  after  he  hath  laid  the  founda- 
tion, and  is  not  able  to  finish  it,  all  that  behold  it  begin 
to  mock  him,  saying,  This  man  began  to  build,  and 
was  not  able  to  finish."  So  it  may  be  said  of  some  in 
regard  to  religion — This  man  began,  but  was  not  wil- 
ling to  make  a  complete  resignation  of  his  soul  and 


THE    BABEL-BUILDERS.  105 

body,  life  and  character.  "  Blessed,"  therefore,  "  are 
the  poor  in  spirit ;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven ;"  they  have  no  disposition  to  kick  at  the  doctrine, 
or  to  make  a  bargain  with  God  upon  their  own  terms. 
To  them  is  the  Gospel  addressed,  and  they  will  re- 
ceive it. 

I  trust  that  God  has  enabled  many  of  you  to  be  his 
witnesses  in  this  respect.  You  have  seen  the  folly  of 
your  former  projects — of  wanting  to  build  some  Babel 
or  other.  For  it  is  not  merely  among  the  rich ;  the 
poorest  man  upon  earth  has  his  "  Babylon  of  straw  i" 

"  Slaves  have  their  Uttle  Babylon  of  straw  ;* 

as  the  poet  says.*  li^  God  has  shown  you  your  mis- 
take, and  told  you  plainly  that  you  cannot  succeed  by 
merely  giving  up  that  which  is  false,  merely  by  dis- 
carding your  Babels — that  it  is  not  sufficient  to  say 
you  have  been  wrong,  and  you  have  discovered  the 
cheat  and  falsehood  which  Satan  endeavored  to  make 
you  act  upon — but  that  it  is  necessary  to  build  some- 
where ;  and  that  '•  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay 
than  that  is  laid,  even  Jesus  Christ ;"  if  God  has  shown 
you  that  it  is  not  enough  to  discover  the  mistake  of  the 
rich,  the  ambitious,  the  learned,  or  the  visionary,  but 
has  taught  you  to  build  aright,  and  instructed  you 
that  you  must  build  upon  Christ  ;  then,  standing  there, 
you  stand  upon  the  foundation  of  God  ;  you  stand 
where  God  has  bid  you  stand  ;  you  take  him  at  his 
word,  that  it  is  "a  sure  foundation,"  the  foundation 
which  God  has  laid  in  Zion  ;  and  that  he  hath  not  only 
sent  his  Spirit  to  make  it  known,  but  to  write  it  upon 
your  heart :  for,  "  he  shall  take  of  mine,"  said  Christ, 
**  and  shall  show  it  unto  you."     Now,  this  is  no  Babel : 

*  Young's  Night  Thoughts. 
5* 


106  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

this  is  God's  voice  in  his  word ;  this  is  the  teaching  of 
God's  Spirit ;  this  is  the  building  that  shall  stand  ;  the 
building  which  the  wise  man  erected  "  upon  a  rock." 
And  soon  shall  many  an  ambitious  monarch — many  a 
celebrated  projector  that  has  kept  the  world  awake  for 
a  time — soon  shall  that  man  say,  Would  to  God  that  I 
had  been  wise  in  time  !  and  had  acknowledged  that 
God  was  wiser  than  I !  and  that  I  had  received  his 
counsel  as  a  little  child,  and  suffered  him  to  lead  me  as 
a  shepherd  leadeth  his  flock  !  Would  to  God  that  I 
had  cast  down  my  proud  imaginations,  and  brought 
every  thought  into  captivity  to  Christ !  that  so,  when 
he  shall  appear,  I  might  "  be  like  him,  and  not  be 
ashamed  before  him  at  his  coming !" 

To  the  aged  believer  let  me  say :  You,  I  trust,  are 
upon  another  elevation  :  you  are  ascending  Pisgah's 
top,  and  endeavoring  to  take  a  view  of  "  a  city  that 
hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God." 
You  are  looking  for  that  city  described  by  St.  John : 
**  And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  Spirit  to  a  great  and 
high  mountain,  and  showed  me  that  great  city,  the  holy 
Jerusalem,  descending  out  of  heaven  from  God.  .  .  . 
And  the  city  had  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the 
moon,  to  shine  in  it :  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten 
it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof"  And  the  nations 
of  them  that  are  saved  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it. 
(Rev.  xxi.  10—24.) 


MINISTRY    OF    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST.  107 


MINISTKY  OF  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST.       . 

Then  said  they  unto  him,  Who  art  thou  1  that  we  rnay  give  an  answer 
to  them  that  sent  us.  What  sayest  thou  of  thyself?  He  said,  I  am 
the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make  straight  the  way  of 
the  Lord,  as  said  the  prophet  Esaias. — John  i.  22, 23.  [1805.] 

The  Sanhedrim,  or  great  council  at  Jerusalem,  to 
whom  it  belonged  to  judge  who  were  true  prophets, 
sent  messengers  to  John  the  Baptist  to  ask  him,  saying, 
Who  art  thou  ?  Art  thou  Elias  ?  He  saith,  "  I  am 
not ;"  i.  e.  not  Elias  who  was  now  dead  ;  not  Elias 
the  Tishbite ;  nor  yet  "  that  prophet"  which  Moses 
spake  of — Deut.  xviii.  15.  But  he  tells  them  plainly, 
he  was  the  predicted  forerunner  of  the  Lord  Christ : 
and  he  refers  to  Isaiah's  prophecy  concerning  him, 
Isa.  xl.  3.  "  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wil- 
derness, prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight 
in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God."  St.  John  was 
the  only  one  among  the  prophets  who  was  expressly 
foretold,  except  the  Messiah.  Isaiah  prophesied  of  him 
700  years,  and  Malachi  near  400,  before  his  birth. 
And  though  he  disclaims  being  "  that  prophet,"  he  was 
declared  by  our  Lord  to  be  "  more  than  a  prophet" — 
probably  in  this  respect,  that  he  was  the  only  one  who 
pointed  out  the  Messiah  as  actually  come.     I  propose, 

I.  To  SET  BEFORE  YOU  SOME  GENERRL  CONSIDERA- 
TIONS WITH  REFERENCE  TO  JoHn's  CHARACTER  AND  MIN- 
ISTRY. 

II.    To  LOOK  AT  IT  AS    IT  WAS  PREPARATORY  TO  THE 

WORK  OF  Christ. 

III.    To   CONSIDER    IT    AS    IT    WAS     ADAPTED    TO    ALL 
CLASSES  OF  HEARERS. 


108  •  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

I.  Let  me    offer    some   general   considerations 

WITH  reference  TO    JoHn's    CHARACTER  AND  MINISTRY. 

St  John  was  a  most  extraordinary  character  ;  even 
his  birth  was  extraordinary ;  and  it  was  said  of  him, 
as  was  said  of  no  other,  "  He  shall  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  even  from  his  mother's  womb,"  He  lived 
the  most  blameless,  holy,  and  mortified  life,  and  re- 
proved vi(fe  wherever  he  saw  it.  Witness  his  rebuke 
of  Herod,  which  occasioned  him  to  die  a  martvr.  But 
he  who  has  lived  up  to  his  character,  though  he  may 
be  cut  oflf,  as  we  express  it,  in  the  midst  of  his  useful- 
ness, yet,  depend  upon  it,  he  has  accomplished  his  work. 
While  he  lived,  he  pointed  to  "  the  Lamb  of  God,'* 
and  declared  the  excellency  of  Christ's  person  and 
ministry  above  his  own ;  and  that  he  was  not  worthy 
to  carry  his  shoes,  or  to  perform  the  least  office  of  ser- 
vice for  him. 

The  more  holy  any  man  is,  the  more  sensible  he  is 
of  his  unholiness.  Christ  gave  testimony  concerning 
John,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Among  them  that  are 
born  of  women,  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than 
John  the  Baptist :"  "  He  was  a  burning  and  a  shining 
light."  Yet  when  this  holy  prophet  came  to  speak  of 
his  divine  Master,  he  feels  himself  nothing  before  him  ; 
but  says,  "  He  it  is,  who  coming  after  me,  is  preferred 
before  me,  whose  shoes'  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to 
unloose."  See,  again,  his  humility  when  our  Lord 
came  to  be  baptized  of  him  ;  "  J  have  need  to  be  bap- 
tized of  theie,  and  comest  thou  to  me  ?"  As  though  he 
had  said,  Thou  art  purity :  I  am  pollution  :  Thou  art 
the  Son  of  God  ;  I  am  the  son  of  Adam.  Our  Lord 
was  baptized,  as  he  was  before  circumcized,  that  he 
flight  by  his  own  baptism  sanctify  this  ordinance  to 
his  church ;  as  well  as  that  he  might  fulfil  -the  right- 


MINISTRY    OF    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST.  109 

eousness  of  the  ceremonial  law,  which  required  the 
washing  of  the  priests  in  water  when  they  entered  upon 
their  office ;  as  appears  from  Exod.  xxix.  4. 

Our  Lord  never  reproved  any  one  for  thinking  too 
highly  of  him.  John  always  testified  of  Christ  that  he 
was  "  the  Son  of  God :"  "  Ye  yourselves  bear  me  wit- 
ness, that  I  said,  I  am  not  the  Christ,  but  that  I  am 
sent  before  him  ....  He  must  increase,  but  I  must 
decrease.  He  that  cometh  from  above,  is  above  all." 
"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  : 
but  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son,  shall  not  see  life  ; 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  John  iii.  36. 
He  declares  that  Christ  should  not  baptize  with  water, 
as  he  did,  but  "  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  fire  ;" 
I.  e.  purifying  their  hearts,  and  consuming  their  cor- 
ruptions.    Let  us  look  at  John  the  Baptist's  ministry, 

II.    As  IT  WAS  PREPARATORY  TO  THE  WORK  OF  ChRIST. 

John  sets  out  preaching  "  repentance  :"  "  Repent  ;'* 
change  your  mind  ;  endeavor  to  take  a  new  view  of 
things  ;  you  are  all  wrong  !  Look  into  the  world,  and 
see  what  there  is  in  it  of  God  !  John  felt,  and  saw, 
that  in  the  wilderness  there  was  no  love,  no  fear  of 
God  ;  for  savage  life  is  not  more  disposed  to  godliness 
than  polite  life  ;  and  vice  versa.  Yet  he  lifted  up  his 
voice  ;  he  knew  the  sound  of  his  Master's  feet  was  be- 
hind him.  "  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at  hand.  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repent- 
ance ;"  but  Christ  shall  so  animate  your  hearts,  that 
like  Elisha,  when  the  mantle  was  thrown  over  him,  j'ou 
will  desire  to  follow. 

Among  the  endless  disputes  about  baptism,  we  should 
recollect,  that  in  whatever  form  it  is  administered,  it 
means  but  one  thing.  Water  is  the  grand  purifier ; 
baptism  with  water  means,  as  our  Church  Catechism 


110  ORIGINAL    thoughts; 

very  properly  expresses  it,  "  an  outward  sign  of  inward 
spiritual  grace."  Water  was  the  sign  of  this  purifica- 
tion under  the  law  :  see  Num ,  viii.  7.  John  washed 
the  Jews,  to  show  the  necessity  of  inward  purification 
notwithstandyig  their  outward  profession.  "  Think 
not  to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to 
our  father."     There  must  be  inward  purity  and  faith. 

There  is  one  characteristic  of  true  Christianity  that 
makes  it  differ  from  all  other  systems  of  religion ; 
namely,  that  it  consists  not  in  Word,  but  in  Power : 
that  it  is  not  a  Form,  but  a  Substance.  The  Jews, 
though  they  had  true  religion  among  them,  yet  were 
so  degenerated  as  to  fall  into  superstition  and  formality. 
The  time  was  come,  however,  when  "  the  axe  was  to 
be  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree."  John's  whole  life,  and 
death,  showed  what  he  meant :  this  is  a  great  thing  in 
religion.  He  showed,  both  to  the  Pharisee  and  Sad- 
ducee,  the  uselessness  of  mere  forms :  he  pointed  them 
to  "  the  Lamb  of  God,"  as  suited  to  their  character, 
and  to  every  other  character.  I  come,  as  though  he 
should  say,  preaching  the  necessity  of  preparing  for 
ONE  that  comes  after  me,  on  whom  my  hopes  are 
placed,  "  who  is  preferred  before  me  ;  whose  shoes' 
latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear."  /  only  administer 
the  sign  ;  but  he  shall  give  you  the  thing  signified  :  it 
shall  operate  like  fire  :  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  enlighten, 
warm,  and  purify  your  hearts.  The  promise  of  Christ's 
Spirit  is  our  grand  encouragement  to  set  up  Christ's 
Gospel  in  the  world,  or  in  our  hearts  ;  and  this  promise 
runs  through  both  Testaments.  See  Ezek.  xxxvii.  and 
Mai.  iii.  There  is  nothing  wanting  to  our  salvation 
but  an  humble,  contrite,  willing  spirit. 

III.  Consider  the  ministry  of  the  Baptist,  as  it 
WAS  adapted  to  different  characters. 

The  first  thing  that  is  required  of  a  minister,  in 


MINISTRY    OF    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST.  Ill 

making  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  is  to  bear  a  plain 
testimony  of  Christ.  "  There  standeth  one  among 
you  whom  ye  know  not.  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said, 
After  me  cometh  a  man  which  is  preferred  before  me : 

for  he  was  before  me And  I  saw  and  bare 

record  that  this  is  the  Son  of  God And  looking 

upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  he  saith,  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God." 

Now  observe  the  tendency  of  such  a  ministry  to  a 
certain  class  of  people  with  whom  John  had  to  do,  and 
with  whom  we  shall  have  to  do,  as  long  as  we  live  in 
the  world :  we  may  consider  them  as  composed  of 
such  as  are  careless  about  every  religion,  and  those 
who  are  setting  up  something  else  instead  of  Christ. 

To  the  careless — the  whole  expression  of  the  Baptist's 
life  is  as  if  he  had  said,  I  am  a  candidate  for  eternity : 
I  look  upon  this  world  as  passing  away  :  I  am  looking  to 
the  atonement ;  to  "  the  Lamb  of  God,"  as  my  only 
hope — as  "  taking  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  But  to 
the  Pharisee,  he  would  say — What  is  your  hope  ?  If 
you  are  turning  your  back  upon  this  great  atonement, 
you  are  the  most  forlorn  of  men !  But,  if  ye  are  not 
willing  to  "behold  the  Lamb  of  God"  as  your  Great 
Remedy,  then  behold  the  axe  of  his  vengeance,  pre- 
pared to  cut  down  and  destroy  you !  You  will  be 
condemned  not  only  by  sins  of  commission,  but  sins  of 
omission :  "  Every  tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good 
fruit" — as  well  as  that  which  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit 
— "  is  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire." 

A  modern  Sadducee  is  gratified  exceedingly  if  you 
will  meet  him  with  reasoning,  giving  him  an  opportu- 
nity to  cavil  and  dispute.  But  what  did  the  Baptist 
do  in  this  case  ?  He  comes  at  once  to  the  heart  and 
conscience  :  "  the  axe  is  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree  : " 
he  comes  to  the  motive  which  keeps  him  back,  namely, 


112  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

that  he  is  carnal.  There  is  no  end  of  talking  and 
arguing  with  sceptical,  bad  men.  The  only  means  to 
do  them  any  good  is  to  come  directly  to  their  con- 
sciences ;  to  tell  them  they  are  wicked.  The  same  to 
the  Pharisee.  See  what  John  says  to  both  Pharisee 
and  Sadducee,  Matt.  iii.  7—12.  "  Think  not  to  say 
within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to  our  father." 
Glory  not  in  this,  that  you  are  the  only  visible  church 
God  has  upon  earth ;  for  God  is  able,  out  of  the  obdu- 
rate Gentile  world,  to  raise  up  a  people  to  himself,  and 
to  cast  you  out.  If  ye  are  not  born  of  the  Spirit,  it 
will  avail  nothing  to  be  born  of  Abraham  "  according 
to  the  flesh." 

It  was  enough  for  John  that  he  spake  the  truth.  Nor 
let  us  suppose  that  he  would  keep  back  any  of  the 
counsel  of  God.  He  would  not  only  address  the 
careless,  the  Pharisee,  and  the  Sadducee  ;  but  he  would 
meet  the  penitent  also :  he  would  say  to  the  contrite, 
"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life." 
He  would  preach  to  them  by  his  own  example :  q.  d. 
God  is  my  end :  Christ  is  my  way  :  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  my  guide.  This  was  to  prepare  a  people  for  the 
Lord. 

The  Gospel  is  not  addressed  to  man's  opinion ;  it  is 
addressed  to  faith  :  "  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ? "  If 
not,  then  you  are  not  the  friend  of  God ;  then  you  are 
not  genuine  in  your  religion.  When  the  messengers 
came  to  John  and  said,  "  Who  art  ihou  ?  "  John  gave 
the  answer  :  but  we  do  not  find  that  he  gave  satisfac^ 
tion ;  for  a  thing  is  received  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  recipient :  the  sun  that  softens  tho  wax  hardens 
the  clay  :  the  truth  is  the  same,  whether  sown  in  ''stony 
ground,"  or  whether  the  seed  is  sown  on  "good  ground ;" 
whether  preached  by  a  poor  illiterate  man,  or  by  John 
the  Baptist.     An  unconverted,  unhumbled  heart,  will 


# 


CHRIST,    THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  113 

receive  it  from  neither.  But  let  us  pray  for  a  teach- 
able spirit :  and  let  us  remember  who  it  is  that  says, 
"  Learn  of  me :"  while  looking  to  the  Lamb  of  God, 
we  are  safe.  This  is  the  great  design  of  the  ministers 
of  Christ,  to  direct  the  eyes  of  a  lost  world  to  a  crucified 
Saviour :  to  behold  him,  to  accept  him,  and  to  submit 
to  him. 


CHRIST,  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  darkness  is  past,  and  the  true  Hght  now  shineth. — 1  John  ii.  8, 

[1806.] 

We  commemorate  this  day  the  first  Advent  of  our 
Lord  :  but  how  few  consider  the  nature  and  manner 
of  his  second  coming  !  "  For,  behold,  the  day  cometh, 
that  shall  burn  as  an  oven  ;  and  all  the  proud,  yea,  and 
all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  be  as  stubble  :  and  the  day 
that  cometh  shall  burn  them  up,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  that  it  shall  leave  them  neither  root  nor  branch." 
There  is  no  finer  image  in  the  creation,  than  the  ris- 
ing sun  after  a  dark  and  stormy  night.  Thus  the  Pro- 
phet, after  adverting  to  God's  judgments  on  the  wicked, 
breaks  out  with  this  splendid  image  :  "  But  unto  you 
that  fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise 
with  healino;  in  his  wino;s." 

But  at  the  appearance  of  this  ''  true  light,"  who  is 
not  ready,  like  Adam,  to  hide  himself  in  any  thicket  ? 
Yet  how  can  we  do  without  this  light  which  comes 
like  the  rising  sun,  dispelling  the  darkness  of  error,  the 
mists  of  superstition,  and  the  clouds  of  ignorance  ! 

The  Apostle,  in  the  verse  preceding  the  text,  was  in- 
culcating love.  "  Brethren,  I  write  no  new  command- 
ment unto  you,  but  an  old  commandment  which  ye 


114  tmiGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

had  from  the  beginning."  The  love  of  God,  and  our 
neighbor,  was  an  old  commandment,  always  taught. 
But  he  says,  ver.  8,  "  Again,  a  new  commandment  I 
write  unto  you,  which  thing  is  true  in  him  and  in  you." 
How  is  this  ?  The  command  is  not  new  in  substance  ; 
but  brought  forward  by  a  new  and  strong  example  in 
the  Gospel ;  "  because  the  darkness  is  past,  and  the 
true  light  now  shineth."  The  day  on  which  we  meet, 
makes  me  consider  this  truth  more  in  the  abstract :  I 
shall  endeavor,  therefore, 

I.  To   OPEN   AND  CONFIRM  THE  PROPOSITION,  the  darJc- 

ness  is  past :  and  also  to  show  that  the  advent  of 
Christ  is  the  shining  and  true  light,  in  this  dark 

WORLD. 

I  shall  then  proceed, 

II.  To  APPLY  THIS  TRUTH  TO  OUR  OWN  HEARTS. 

I.  I  SHALL  ENDEAVOR  TO  OPEN  AND  CONFIRM  THE 

PROPOSITION.  Sin  and  ignorance  are  in  Scripture 
called  darkness.  Sin  begins,  is  carried  on,  and  ends 
in  darkness.  This  is  so  evident,  that  no  proof  is  want- 
ing. Man,  without  divine  light,  is  found  so  dark  and 
ignorant,  that  he  not  only  knows  nothing  of  the  power, 
but  he  knows  nothing  even  of  the  plan  of  the  Gospel. 
Not  to  speak  of  heathens,  what  do  you  meet,  in  this 
Christian  land,  but  darkness  ?  what  in  your  own  heart 
— what  in  your  families,  but  darkness  that  may  be  felt  ? 

It  signifies  little  to  say  of  the  heathen  world,  that  it 
had  its  Plato,  its  Seneca,  its  Socrates.  What  is  this 
but  to  say,  that  there  were  two  or  three  twinkling  stars 
in  a  dark  night!  That  night  must  needs  be  dark  that 
has  only  here  and  there  a  little  twinkling  star  to  show  ! 

In  regard  to  the  .Jewish  dispensation,  there  was 
something  like  moonlight :  there  was  a  comparative 
illumination.      Still    the    Mosaical    institutions    were 


.''■■ 


CHRIST,    THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  115 

dark  ;  only  shadows  of  "  good  things  to  come."  The 
prophecies  were  dark :  St.  Peter  says,  "  Of  which  sal- 
vation the  prophets  have  inquired  and  searched  dili- 
gently, who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should  come 
unto  you."  Even  the  views  of  the  disciples  were 
comparatively  dark.  Though  Isaiah  had  spoken  so 
plainly  of  Christ's  death,  yet  when  our  Lord  talked  of 
going  to  Jerusalem  to  suffer,  Peter  exclaimed,  "  That 
be  far  from  thee !"  To  say  nothing  of  those  who,  like 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  oppose,  let  us  turn  to  such  as  have  sat 
under  the  sound  of  the  Gospel  for  years — having  the 
light  shining  upon  them.  I  repeat,  that  many  are  not 
only  ignorant  of  the  power,  but  even  of  the  plan  of  the 
Gospel ;  they  are  ignorant  of  the  way  in  which  a  sin- 
ner is  to  be  saved  !  The  light  shineth,  but  men  move 
on  in  darkness,  as  their  element :  they  love  darkness  : 
they  shun  the  rays  of  light. 

Human  learning,  if  destitute  of  the  knowledge  of 
God,  is  dark.  Whatever  an  academy  may  say  of  it, 
or  those  most  renowned  for  it,  an  angel  would  say  of 
such  a  man.  There  goes  a  poor  blind  creature,  groping 
his  way  to  hell !  There  are  the  false  lights  of  philos- 
ophy ;  and  the  false  lights  of  the  Pharisee  ;  and  the 
false  lights  of  sense,  opposing  themselves  to  faith : 
these  are  all  in  opposition  to  the  true  light. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  darkness,  we  find  the  pro- 
phet Isaiah  thus  addressing  the  Church  in  reference  to 
/the  advent  of  Christ :  "  Arise,  shine ;  for  thy  light  is 
come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee." 
Be  enlightened  ;  for  thy  light  cometh.  When  Jesus 
Christ  came  into  the  world,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
arose  over  the  nations  with  healing  in  his  wings  :  so 
that  all  former  light  appeared,  comparatively,  as  shade. 
I  include  all  the  former  dispensations,  which  were  only 
predictive  and  prefigurative  of  the   bright  and  sun- 


116  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

like  dispensation  of  the  Gospel.  Therefore  St.  John 
says,  "  That  was  the  true  light,  which  lighteth  every 
man  that  cometh  into  the  world." 

It  may  be  asked,  In  what  way  does  this  light  shine 
in  this  world  of  sin  and  darkness  ?  1  answer,  God's 
fulfilling  his  word,  and  being  present  in  his  Church,, 
makes  his  Church  to  become  the  light  of  the  world. 
Christ's  light  shines  in  his  word,  written  by  the  Spirit 
of  the  living  God  on  the  heart  and  conscience.  I 
might  mention  many  ways  in  which  the  shining  of  this 
light  appears  ;  but  I  shall  collect  them  under  two  heads. 

The  Advent  of  Christ  is  the  shining  and  true  light, 
1st,  as  it  shines  on  the  heart  of  man :  and  2ndly,  as  it 
shines  on  all  surrounding  objects. 

1st.  "The  true  light  now  shineth"  on  the  heart  of 
man.  St.  Paul  shows,  that  notwithstanding  a  man 
may  have  knowledge,  or  wisdom,  or  science,  (to  which 
he  particularly  refers  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  First 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,)  yet,  if  he  have  not  the  light 
which  illuminates  the  heart,  he  is  "in  darkness  even 
until  now."  "  For  God,"  says  he,  "  who  commanded 
the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  into  our 
hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  2  Cor.  iv.  4. 
Every  wicked  man,  every  unregenerate  man,  what- 
ever light  he  may  boast  of,  is  walking  in  darkness  :  and 
has  nothing  before  him  but  eternal  darkness  and  despair. 

I  know  from  experience,  (and  many  young  ministers 
have  been  stumbled  at  this.)  that  after  all  endeavors 
and  efforts  to  work  on  men's  consciences,  they  remain 
as  dark  and  stupid  as  ever :  either  from  the  prevalence 
of  self-righteousness,  or  from  being  carried  away  by 
*'  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride 
of  life."  Notwithstanding  the  clearest  exhibitions  of 
divine  truth,  men  remain  locked  up,  as  it  were,  in  a 


CHRIST,    THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  117 

dungeon,  into  which  not  a  single  ray  of  the  sun  can 
enter  !  which  shows  the  difference  between  only  hear- 
ing of  Christ,  and  believing  in  him. 

At  the  sanae  time,  we  observe  in  other  cases  such 
an  efficacy,  that  we  cannot  help  seeing  that  "  God  who 
commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness"  hath 
shined  into  the  hearts  of  some  of  our  hearers,  "  to  give 
the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ."  So  that  we  may  say  with  the 
Apostle,  "For  what  thanks  can  we  render  to  God 
again  for  you,  for  all  the  joy  wherewith  we  joy  for 
your  sakes  before  our  God  ?"  "  For  our  Gospel  came 
not  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  also  in  power,  and 
in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance."  Now, 
this  is  one  of  the  instances  of  the  shining  light  appear- 
ing in  the  hearts  of  men.  But  where  it  does  so,  it  is  a 
moral  miracle  :  it  is  more  than  the  giving  sight  to 
blind  Bartimeus.  To  bring  men  "from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  to  God ;"  to  give 
them  a  taste  for  the  pleasures  that  are  at  God's  right 
hand  for  evermore — this  is  a  miracle  of  Divine  grace  ! 
There  must  be  the  eye,  as  well  as  the  object  to  look 
on  :  the  eyes  of  the  understanding  must  be  opened. 
Where  it  is  so,  the  light  becomes  influential  ;  the  light 
of  the  sun  enables  a  man  to  walk  abroad,  and  be  doing. 

2ndly.  Let  us  contemplate  "the  true  light"  as  it 
shines  on  all  surrounding  objects. 

When  "  the  true  light"  shines  on  the  heart,  every 
thing  wears  a  different  appearance.  We  form  a  dif- 
ferent notion  and  estimate  of  things  according  to  the 
differect  aspects  under  which  we  contemplate  them. 
Some  poor  paltry  things  appear  brilliant  by  candle- 
light, which  will  not  bear  examination  by  the  light  of 
day.  When  the  true  light  shines  on  objects,  we  are 
enabled  to  see  them  as  they  really  are.     The  world  ap* 


118  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

pears  as  it  really  is  when  the  true  light  shines  upon  it, 
and  discovers  its  true  character. 

A  great  literary  character  may  carry  a  taper,  and 
walk  in  its  feeble  light,  and  be  greatly  applauded  as  one 
of  the  brightest  of  those  illuminati  who  are  supposed 
to  have  shed  such  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  nations  in 
modern  times.  But,  alas  !  such  do  not  consider  that 
*'  the  lamp  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out !"  And  all, 
undoubtedly,  are  of  this  character,  who  hold  up  their 
ignis  fatuus  in  opposition  to  that  true  light  of  the  Gos- 
pel which  now  shineth  !  These  are  not  the  men  to 
discover  the  truth  of  God,  pleased  as  they  are  with  the 
fancied  brightness  of  human  reason.  But,  while  the 
vail  is  upon  the  heart  of  man,  whether  he  be  Jew  or 
Gentile,  the  vail  is  upon  every  thing. 

But  the  shining  of  the  true  light  on  objects  shows 
them  as  they  really  are.  Take  an  instance  or  two. 
The  woman  came  into  the  Pharisee's  house,  and 
washed  our  Lord's  feet  with  tears,  wiping  them  with 
the  hairs  of  her  head.  The  Pharisee,  who  had  bidden 
him,  said  within  himself,  "  This  man,  if  he  were  a  pro- 
phet, would  have  known  who,  and  what  manner  of 
woman  this  is  that  toucheth  him  :  for  she  is  a  sinner." 
The  true  light  shone  upon  the  transaction  :  "  she  loved 
much :  but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth 
little  :"  Woman,  "  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  :  go  in 
peace." 

So  again,  "  when  Jesus  sat  over  against  the  treasury, 
he  beheld  how  the  people  cast  money  into  the  trea- 
sury :  and  many  that  were  rich  cast  in  much."  A 
poor  widow  casts  in  her  two  mites.  What  says  "  the 
true  light  ?"  "  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  that  this 
poor  widow  hath  cast  in  more  than  they  all." 

The  disciples  were  astonished  at  the  buildings  of  the 
temple,  "  how  it  was  adorned  with  goodly  stones  and 


CHRIST,  THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  119 

gifts."  Christ  shows  them  that  these  things  were  ut- 
terly unworthy  of  their  regard  :  "  As  for  these  things 
which  ye  behold,  the  days  will  come  in  the  which 
there  shall  not  be  one  stone  left  upon  another,  that 
shall  not  be  thrown  down."  As  though  he  had  said, 
Turn  your  eyes  from  these  temporary  things  to  the 
precious  corner-stone,  laid  in  Zion !  "  Him  that  over- 
cometh,  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God." 

Again  :  "  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to 
pray :  the  one  a  publican,  and  the  other  a  Pharisee." 
What  a  discovery  did  "  the  true  light"  make  as  to 
their  spirit !  '*  I  tell  you,  this  man  went  down  to  his 
house  justified  rather  than  the  other  !" 

"  The  true  light  now  shineth,"  and  will  flatter  no 
man.  "  Who  shall  stand  when  he  appeareth  ?  for  he 
is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fuller's  soap."  He 
shows  the  true  character.  Perhaps  you  pity  that  beg- 
gar who  lies  at  the  rich  man's  gate  full  of  sores :  but 
look,  through  the  shining  of  "  the  true  light,"  at  the 
other  poor  creature  who  sits  at  his  sumptuous  board 
'*  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,"  and  who  is  to  go 
where  he  will  not  have  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  his 
tongue  !  Mark  how  "  the  true  light"  explores  things, 
and  reveals  them  in  their  true  character !  and  then 
you  will  no  longer  "  call  the  proud  happy."  It  will  de- 
tect ever}^  thing  that  is  base  and  fictitious. 

II.  Let  us  apply  this  truth  to  our  own  hearts. 

In  doing  this,  let  us  notice,  1st,  the  obligations  we 
are  under,  as  favored  with  this  shining  light.  This 
subject  calls  upon  the  man  of  the  world  to  consi'der 
his  obligations  to  seek  the  true  light  while  it  shines, 
and  to  reflect  what  the  neglect  of  it  will  lead  him  to. 
The  condemnation  ot  the  wicked  proceeds  upon  this 
very  principle:   "Light  is  come  into  the  world,  but 


r:iO  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

men  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  are  evil." 

What  is  likely  to  be  the  present  punishment  of  such 
as  reject  this  light  ?  ''  He  that  believeth  not  the  Son 
shall  not  see  life;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on 
him."  His  heart  is  given  up,  and  hardened  :  after  his 
conscience  has  been,  in  a  measure,  awakened  to  see 
the  truth,  the  evil  spirit  returns  again,  and  finds  the 
house  "empty,  swept,  and  garnished."  But  will  this 
keep  the  evil  spirit  out  ?  "  Then  goeth  he  and  taketh 
to  him  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than  himself; 
and  they  enter  in,  and  dwell  there  :  and  the  last  state  of 
that  man  is  worse  than  the  first."  Luke  xi.  26.  I  have 
seen  instances  of  this  :  these  pretendedly  pure  and  phar- 
isaical  characters  are  among  the  worst  enemies  to  "  the 
true  light."  I  have  observed  in  those  who  hear  the 
Gospel  without  feeling  it,  greater  repugnance  to  the 
truth,  and  more  disposition  to  oppose  it,  than  even  in 
the  reprobate  who  disgraces  his  family  and  neighbor- 
hood by  his  vices.  I  can  only  say  to  such,  *'  Awake, 
thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ 
shall  give  thee  light."     Eph.  v.  14. 

I  remark,  2ndly,  that  an  obligation  is  laid  on  the 
Church  of  Christ  as  regards  the  treatment  of  those 
whose  eyes  are  not  as  yet  opened  to  behold  the  true  light. 
We  should  show  great  compassion  to  such :  we  should 
avoid  every  thing  that  looks  like  saying,  "Stand  by,  I 
am  holier  than  thou  !"  Do  you  consider  who  made 
you  to  differ  ?  who  taught  you  ?  That  man  is  a  blind 
Pharisee  who  treats  with  harshness  such  as  do  not  see 
•'  th'e  true  light !"  Consider  the  rebuke  given  to  the 
Apostles  when  they  wanted  to  call  down  fire  from 
heaven  upon  those  who  did  not  receive  them :  "  Ye 
know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of."  What 
should  we  have  thought  of  Bartimeus,  if,  after  our 


CHRIST,     THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    WORLD.  121 

Lord  mercifully  restored  his  sight,  he  had  begun  to 
reproach  the  first  blind  man  he  met,  because  he  did  not 
remove  his  own  blindness  ?  Rather,  let  us  pray  for 
those  who  remain  spiritually  blind,  and  direct  them  to 
the  Almighty  Physician  of  souls.  Let  us  pray  for  our 
servants,  our  children,  our  friends,  and  relatives ;  and 
take  heed  that  we  cast  no  stumbling-blocks  in  their 
way  by  any  inconsistency  of  conduct. 

If  light  is  received,  we  shall  see  its  effects.  See  how 
it  appeared  in  the  character  of  Simeon,  and  Zaccheus ! 
If  a  man  seeks  God,  he  has  light  to  direct  his  feet :  he 
says,  Here  I  follow :  this  is  my  direction :  "  Why  art 
thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul  ?"  Here  is  a  light  to  cheer 
and  influence  my  heart :  leave  me  but  this  light — this 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  I  ask  no  more  !  I  can  wait 
in  patience  for  him  who  says,  "  Behold,  I  come  quickly  ; 
let  no  man  take  thy  crown."  You  that  know  the 
benefit  of  Christ's  first  coming,  look  for  the  glory  of 
his  second  coming,  when  he  shall  gather  the  wheat  into 
his  garner. 

3rdly.  There  may  be  some  present,  wfio  have  hut  a 
glimmering  ray  of  light.  I  have  read  of  a  man  who, 
from  exploring  a  cavern  too  far,  was  shut  in  by  rob- 
bers. But  the  man  saw  at  a  distance  a  ray  of  light, 
and  followed  it,  till  it  led  to  his  deliverance.  So,  in 
the  Gospel :  a  man  may  have  only  a  ray  of  light ;  let 
him  follow  it :  it  is  a  token  for  good.  A  man  may  set 
out  with  doubt  and  faint  hope :  but  let  him  pursue  and 
follow  on,  and  light  will  increase.  "  If  any  man  will 
do  his  will  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be 
of  God."  No  science  gives  full  satisfaction  at  first. 
So  in  religion :  our  rule  is  this :  "  Then  shall  we  know, 
if  we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord."  Here  is  hope  for 
the  despairing ;  life  for  the  dying  ;  pardon  for  the  guilty. 
As  darkness  represents  sin  and  ignorance,  so  light  is 

6 


122  ORIGINAL    TH0UGHT9. 

used  in  Scripture  to  represent  whatever  is  good,  and 
brings  man  to  God.  From  the  Advent  of  Christ,  v^^e 
derive  a  brisjhter  evidence  to  all  important  truth — a 
more  encouraging  aspect  to  every  promise  ;  and  a  new 
and  animating  motive  to  every  duty. 


THE  DESIRE  OF  ALL  NATIONS. 

And  I  will  shake  all  nations,  and  the  desire  of  all  nations  shall  come. — 

Hag.  ii.  17.  [1799.] 

The  Bible  is  a  book  which  not  only  points  out  duty, 
but  it  is  a  fountain  of  encouragements.  It  strengthens 
the  feeble  hands,  in  order  that  what  is  done  may  be 
done  with  vigor  and  energy. 

L  Consider  what  is  here  promised  :  "  The  desire 
of  all  nations  shall  come!* 

In  the  predictions  concerning  the  Advent  of  our 
Lord,  He  is  called  "  the  desire  of  all  nations,"  because 
it  was  in  him  that  all  the  promises  were  centered  :  so 
that  there  is  not  a  holy  man,  in  or  out  of  eternity,  but 
he  has  fixed  his  eye  on  Christ. 

It  is  further  predicted  that  there  should  be  a  prepa- 
ration for  Christ's  coming  ;  "I  will  shake  all  nations." 
Men  may  call  it  disturbance,  or  calamity  ;  but  this  is 
our  belief,  that  God  is  in  this  ;  "  I  will  shake  all  nations." 
There  is  also  a  prediction  of  the  consequences  that 
should  take  place  when  the  desire  of  all  nations  should 
come,  see  ver.  9  :  "In  this  place  I  will  give  peace,  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

II.  Consider  what  happened  previous  to  our 
Lord's  Advent. 


THE    DESIRE    OF    ALL    NATIONS.  123 

The  temple  was  built :  and  before  Christ  came,  a 
shaking  took  place,  more  especially  among  the  nations 
to  whom  Christ  was  sent.  The  Roman  eagle  fixed 
upon  the  carcass  ;  for  the  sceptre  had  departed  from 
Judah.  The  great  design  of  prophecy  is  to  make  it 
appear  that  there  is  not  a  thing  can  take  place  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  time,  but  that  God  has  de- 
clared it.     Prophecy  is  a  standing  miracle. 

The  Advent  of  Christ  ever  was  the  grand  object  of 
the  enlightened  man  in  eveiy  age  of  the  world.  Ask 
your  hearts,  What  is  the  reason  of  all  the  disappoint- 
ments you  meet  with  in  the  world  ?  What  has  been 
your  desire  ?  When  we  have  found  out  our  object, 
we  have  found  out  our  character. 

III.  I  now  proceed  to  draw  a  few  inferences  from 

THIS  SUBJECT. 

1st.  We  need  not  be  alarmed  because  disturbances 
may  be  appointed  to  introduce  peace.  Before  the 
Prince  of  Peace  came,  there  was  a  shaking  among  the 
nations. 

Suppose  a  man  lay  asleep  with  his  house  on  fire  : 
would  you  let  him  sleep  ?  would  you  not  rather  say, 
His  very  life  depends  on  his  being  disturbed  !  When 
our  Lord  came,  he  found  the  world  asleep  in  security 
and  stupidity.  If  a  minister  does  not  disturb  you,  he 
will  do  you  no  good.  The  conversion  of  a  sinner  often 
begins  with  perturbation  of  mind  :  the  jailer  was  going 
to  put  an  end  to  his  life.  There  is  a  "  strong  man 
armed,"  who  will  endeavor  to  keep  his  goods  in  peace  ; 
and  he  will  get  his  ministers  to  cry  peace,  when  there 
is  no  peace. 

Various  messengers  have  been  sent  to  reform  the 
world  :  the  deluge — war — pestilence — famine  :  but  all 
have  failed.     The  law  was  given  :  but  St.  Paul  lells 


124  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

US  that,  "  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was 
weak  through  the  flesh,  God  sending  his  own  Son  in 
the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin 
in  the  flesh."  Rom.  viii.  3.  The  law  could  condemn 
the  world,  but  not  reform  it.  What,  then,  can  mere 
morality  do  ?  This  great  work  can  only  be  effected 
by  that  Righteous  Branch  which  should  come  forth  out 
of  the  stem  of  Jesse  ;  and  who  should  *'  execute  judg- 
ment and  righteousness  in  the  land." 

2ndly.  When  God  promises,  our  hopes  should  he 
raised  to  the  highest  expectation.  God  seems  to  say 
to  every  believer,  If  from  within  and  without,  you  have 
ever  so  much  cause  for  despondency — yet,  do  not  limit 
ME  !     Every  promise  shall  be  fulfilled  in  its  season. 

The  first  rising  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
were  seen  in  Paradise,  in  the  promise  that  the  seed  of 
the  woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  But  he 
arose  to  shine  brighter  when  he  came  and  dispelled  the 
shadows  and  types  of  the  Jewish  economy.  And  his 
actual  warmth  and  influence  was  especially  felt,  when 
he  sent  forth  his  apostles  to  spread  abroad  his  Gospel 
throughout  the  world.  It  is  by  these  glorious  beams 
that  the  sad  are  cheered,  and  the  mourners  are  com- 
forted. 

3rdly.  I  remark,  that  it  is  God's  design  to  correct  the 
false  taste,  the  pride,  the  ambition,  and  corruption 
of  the  human  heart. 

God  has  called  us  to  meet  this  gracious  Messiah — 
the  desire  of  all  nations,  now  actually  come — not  in  a 
splendid  court,  but  in  a  manger  ;  in  the  wilderness  ;  at 
Gethsemane ;  before  the  High  Priest,  when  they  spat 
in  his  face,  and  buffeted  and  smote  him!  We  are 
called  to  meet  him  at  the  cross,  and  at  the  sepulchre  ! 
Thus  God  corrects  the  false  taste  of  fallen  man. 

One  of  God's  methods  of  correcting  our  false  taste 


THE    DESIRE    OF    ALL    NATIONS.  125 

is,  by  thwarting  and  mortifying  it.  Thus  it  was  in 
regard  to  the  Jews :  they  were  looking,  not  for  a  spir- 
itual, but  for  a  temporal  kingdom :  therefore  they 
interpreted  all  the  promises  concerning  their  future 
Messiah  according  to  their  carnal  taste.  Even  the 
disciples  were  so  filled  with  the  idea  of  a  temporal 
kingdom,  that  Peter  could  not  endure  to  hear  our  Lord 
speak  of  his  crucifixion.    Mark  viii.  32. 

4th.  Since  God  hath  sent  his  Son,  and  held  him  up 
as  a  fight  to  a  dark  world,  the  graiid  concern  of  a  sinner 
should  he  how  he  shall  get  an  interest  in  this  Saviour, 
and  so  he  pardoned  and  accepted  of  God.  There  is  no 
way  of  acceptance  but  through  this  Saviour.  "  He 
hath  magnified  the  law  and  made  it  honorable." 
"  Through  this  man  is  preached  to  you  the  forgiveness 
of  sins."  Men  do  not  appear  much  interested  in  this 
when  it  is  preached  to  them :  the  reason  is,  they  do  not 
think  much  of  sin  ;  sin  lies  lightly  on  their  consciences  : 
they  put  their  worldly  concerns  in  the  first  place  :  they 
are  not  concerned  for  God's  honor  and  glory,  and  the 
regard  he  must  have  to  the  order  of  all  his  works. 

When  we  take  a  view  of  the  vast  preparation  made 
to  accomplish  man's  salvation,  the  sinner's  grand  con- 
cern— how  he  shall  stand  justified  before  God — strongly 
appears.  There  is  but  one  evil  in  the  world,  and  that 
is  sin.  The  goodness  of  God  obliges  him  to  root  it  out : 
and  therefore  the  sinner  should  tremble.  Whether  we 
consider  an  ungodly  man  in  life,  death,  or  through  eter- 
nitv,  there  are  no  words  to  describe  his  case  !  What 
he  has  not  thought  of  now,  shall  be  the  subject  of  his 
thoughts  throughout  eternity  !  He  has  perished  through 
neglecting  and  despising  his  remedy :  "'  Light  is  come 
into  the  world,  but  men  loved  darkness  rather  than 
light." 

Every  one  who  attempts   to  speak  upon  the  great 


126  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

mystery  of  God  becoming  man,  must  feel  a  difficulty : 
for  who  can  speak  upon  such  a  subject  without  de- 
grading it?  "Which  things  the  angels  desire  to  look 
into."  1  Peter  i.  12.  But  as  believers,  we  have  one 
common  privilege — that  of  joining  with  saints  and 
angels  in  admiring  and  adoring  what  we  cannot  com- 
prehend. 


THE  WISE  MEN  OF  THE  EAST. 

Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea  in  the  days  of  Herod 
the  king,  behold,  there  came  wise  men  from  the  East  to  Jerusalem, 
saying,  Where  is  he  that  is  born  king  of  the  Jews '?  For  we  have 
seen  his  star  in  the  East,  and  are  come  to  worship  him. — Matt,  ii.l,  2, 

[1791.] 

We  are  not  told  precisely  who  these  wise  men  were, 
or  from  what  country  they  came :  but  probably  they 
were  Persian  priests,  and  philosophers.  Nor  are  we 
told  the  particulars  of  this  star.  We  see  it  referred  to 
Numbers  xxiv.  27.  It  was  doubtless  some  extraordinary 
light.  The  wise  men  were  enabled  to  understand  its 
message,  and  to  follow  it :  and,  in  so  doing,  they  are 
our  instructors. 

I.  We  learn,  from  the  conduct  of  the  wise  men, 

THAT  TRUE  WISDOM  WILL  BE  FOUND  INaUIRING  AFTER, 
AND  ADORING,  "  GoD  MANIFESTED  IN  THE  FLESH  l"  AND 
OFFERING  HIM  THE  MOST  PRECIOUS  GIFTS. 

These  men  did  not  consider  whether  they  should  be 
despised,  but  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  inquired,  "  Where 
is  he  that  is  born  king  of  the  Jews  ?"  It  is  the  char- 
acteristic of  true  wisdom  to  inquire  seriously  :  not  like 
Pilate,  to  ask  "  what  is  truth  ?"  without  waiting  for  an 


THE    WISE    MEN    OF    THE    EAST.  127 

answer.  It  will  inquire  scripturally :  not  like  an  en- 
thusiast. It  will  inquire  rationally,  using  such  means 
as  God  has  appointed.  It  will  make  an  expensive  in- 
quiry :  the  wise  men  had  travelled  far  from  their  home  : 
they  were  found  inquiring  even  in  the  seat  of  the 
scorner.  Such  an  expensive  inquiry  will  show  how  far 
a  man  will  go  when  he  is  in  earnest. 

True  wisdom  will  be  found  to  adore,  as  well  as  in- 
quire. Take  a  view  of  the  scene  that  presented  itself 
to  these  wise  men.  They  find  the  King  of  the  Jews, 
whom  they  came  to  worship,  "lying  in  a  manger;" 
not  allowed  a  house,  but  found  in  a  stable  !  They  might 
have  said,  What !  are  we  come  this  long  expensive 
journey  to  see  one  so  lightly  set  by  ?  and  that,  even  by 
his  own  people  ?  Have  we  brought  our  rich  gifts  to 
offer  to  one  so  poor  and  mean  ?  Can  this  be  indeed 
the  king  of  the  Jews  ? 

Let  us  remember,  it  is  peculiar  to  faith  to  look 
through  the  names  of  things  to  the  reality.  Our  Lord 
had  laid  aside  his  glory,  and  condescended  to  veil  him- 
self But  it  is  the  proper  character  and  privilege  of 
the  believer  to  be  able  to  see  his  God  through  ten 
thousand  veils.  We  must  be  ever  looking  through  the 
screen  :  we  must,  like  the  wise  men,  acknowledge  Christ 
our  king  in  the  midst  of  a  scoffing  people  ;  and  offer 
him  our  best  gifts. 

II.  We  learn,  that  this  wisdom  will  be  despised 

BY  the  world. 

We  cannot  expect  too  little  from  the  world  respect- 
ing Christ.  "  Where  is  the  wise  ?  where  is  the  scribe  ? 
where  is  the  disputer  of  this  world  ?  Hath  not  God 
made  foolish  the  wisdom  of  this  world  ?"  1  Cor.  i.  20. 
The  very  inquiry  disturbs  them.  "  When  Herod  heard 
these  things,  he  was  troubled,  and  all  Jerusalem  with 


128  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

him."  Nay,  if  the  inquiry  after  Jesus  be  serious,  it 
disturbs  even  the  Church;  so  low  may  a  church  be 
fallen  !  Many,  that  make  a  profession,  are  heathens  in 
heart.  Persecution  is  not  only  found  with  the  crowd, 
but  has  even  priests  in  its  train.  What  shall  Ave  say 
when,  even  in  this  day,  pastors  may  be  found  who  are' 
opening  their  Bible,  and  preaching  to  overthrow  him 
that  was  born  King  of  the  Jews !  Such  is  the  carnal 
heart!  Christ  comes  to  his  own;  but  if  the  heart  be 
carnal,  his  own  will  not  receive  him  ! 

The  Jews,  probably,  would  ask  the  wise  men,  with 
scorn,  Why  they  should  come  to  worship  one  horn ; 
as  if  they  had  not  the  Supreme  Being  to  worship  ? 
Such  inquiries  are  still  made.  Is  not  an  honest  heart 
enough  ?  Are  not  moral  virtues  sufficient  ?  But  in 
vain  are  such  scoffing  inquiries  addressed  to  the  man 
in  earnest:  "We  have  seen  his  star  in  the  East ;  and 
are  come  to  worship  him." 

Thus  we  discover  different  characters.  Herod  dis- 
covered his  character  by  his  cruelty  towards  the  inno- 
cents, as  well  as  by  his  folly  in  attempting  to  overthrow 
the  design  of  God.  The  wise  men  showed  their  char- 
acter by  following  an  infallible  guide,  though  only  by 
a  glimmering  light.  Good  old  Simeon  exhibited  his 
character,  by  patiently  waiting  for  a  promise  which  he 
knew  was  firmer  than  heaven  and  earth.  Let  us  man- 
ifest ours  ;  let  us  come  and  worship  Christ,  and  offer 
him  our  best  gifts. 

III.  We  learn  that  God  will  honor  what  the 

WORLD    DESPISES,  AND    DESPISE    WHAT    THE    WORLD    HON- 
ORS. 

Blessed  is  the  man  who,  like  these  magi,  follows  the 
light  in  a  dark  place,  A  taper,  if  followed  steadily, 
will  lead  to  great  treasure,  though  hid  in  a  d^rk  cavern. 


THE    WISE    MEN    OF    THE    EAST.  129 

Take  care  of  being  speculative  Christians  ;  mere  moral 
astronomers  ;  who  may  have  seen  this  star  through  the 
Scripture  telescope — who  can,  perhaps,  give  a  good 
account  of  it — have  observed  the  appearance,  as  a 
phenomenon  ;  but  have  never  yet  followed  it.  Such  a 
man  could  preach  upon  it ;  but,  has  he  yielded  his  heart 
to  Christ  ?  He  may  bear  a  high  reputation  in  the 
world  :  but  what  if  truth  must  say,  "  One  thing  thou 
lackest !"  The  main  point  is  forgotten  in  your  calcu- 
lation, namely,  that  "  I  have  set  my  King  upon  my 
holy  hill  of  Zion."  But  you  must  be  brought  as  a 
witness  :  the  Gospel  is  "  a  savor  of  death  unto  death." 
The  true  light,  "  the  day-spring  from  on  high,"  hath 
visited  us  as  well  as  the  Jews. 

Let  all  who  are  following  the  blessed  Star  be  en- 
couraged to  go  on.  If  it  does  not  seem  to  shine  so 
bright  upon  you  as  upon  some  others,  follow  the  light 
you  have  ;  and  it  will  increase.  Redeem  the  time : 
"  walk  circumspectly  ;  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise."  Many 
things  may  rise  hke  a  cloud  between  you  and  Christ : 
but  offer  your  best  gifts :  and  do  so  in  the  face  of  the 
world.     Venture  to  confess  Christ  before  bad  men. 

Some  may  be  asking,  How  shall  I  properly  receive 
this  Saviour  who  has  come  in  such  love  to  my  soul  ? 
I  answer,  Meet  this  truth,  of  "  God  manifested  in  the 
flesh,"  with  attention,  admiration,  and  reverence :  meet 
it  with  unlimited  confidence.  It  says  to  us,  God  is 
above  us  ;  we  cannot  see  him  by  the  light  of  nature : 
by  the  law,  he  is  against  us ;  but,  by  the  Gospel,  God 
is  for  us.  Let  us  receive  this  truth  with  a  holy  reso- 
lution to  enter  into  it.     This  confidence  is  called  faith. 

How  blind  and  wretched  are  they  who  have  never 
been  taught  of  God !  What  is  it  to  be  a  king,  like 
Herod,  or  like  Pharaoh  ?  to  be  rich,  like  Dives,  faring 
sumptuously  every  day,  and  clad  in  purple  and  fine 

6* 


130  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

linen  ?  Do  you  want  to  know  the  character  of  a 
worldly-wise  man  ?  He  has  never  seen  or  worshipped 
the  Son  of  God.  2  Cor.  iv.  3.  How  will  the  wise 
men  in  the  text  rise  in  judgment  against  some  who  are 
running  hither  and  thither  after  every  vanity,  while 
they  are  turning  their  backs  on  Christ  ! 

Let  me  say  to  Christians  : — However  the  world  may 
treat  our  faith,  hope,  and  love ;  and  ask.  What  do  you 
mean  by  leaving  all  for  Christ  1  let  us  set  our  face  like 
a  flint,  fall  down  before  the  Son  of  God,  and  oflfer  him 
our  best  gifts — our  time,  our  talents,  our  labors  of  love 
— thankful  that  he  will  receive  them.  We  have  but 
little  time  :  let  us  pray  to  God  that  it  may  be  improved  ! 
Let  us  call  upon  our  children,  and  our  servants,  whose 
souls  are  under  our  care,  to  follow  the  true  Light  that 
hath  shined  into  this  dark  world. 


CHARACTER  OF  SIMEON. 

And  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem,  whose  name  was  Simeon ; 
and  the  same  man  was  just  and  devout,  waiting  for  the  consolation 
of  Israel— Luke  ii.  25.  [  1 806.] 

When  Christ  came,  but  few  were  found  waiting  for 
him ;  "  He  came  to  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him 
not."  So  it  will  be  also  at  his  second  coming :  for 
"  when  the  Son  of  Man  cometh,  shall  he  find  faith  on 
earth  ?"  But  if  there  are  now  only  few  comparatively 
waiting  for  the  coming  of  Christ,  then  let  it  be  the 
concern  of  each  of  us  to  be  found  numbered  among 
those  few. 

From  the  example  of  Simeon  I  shall  take  occasion 
to  describe, 


CHARACTER    OF    SIMEON.  131 

I.  The  character  of  a  true  Israelite. 
JI.  The  blessedness  of  such  a  character. 

I.  The  character  of  a  true  Christian  is,  that  he  is 
both  just  and  devout :  he  is  an  honest,  upright  man ;  a 
righteous  and  just  man,  as  to  his  doings — but  not  so 
that  he  should  glory  before  God ;  for  this  did  not 
Abraham.  A  true  Israelite  is  not  only  just  and  upright, 
he  is  more ;  he  is.  devout ;  he  is  a  spiritual  worshipper. 
There  never  was  an  instance  of  a  good  man  thinking 
lightly  of  the  house  of  God,  or  the  worship  of  God. 

Simeon  was  a  true  believer,  a  patient  waiter  for  the 
promised  Messiah.  It  is  one  part  of  the  character  of 
the  true  Israelite,  that  when  he  perceives  the  value  of 
Christ,. he  stands  waiting  for  him  patiently,  and  expect- 
antly. There  must  be  a  certain  disposition  in  our 
minds  before  we  can  receive  Christ ;  but  let  a  man 
know  his  character  as  a  sinner,  and  he  will  receive 
him  as  the  Author,  the  Procurer,  the  Dispenser  of  all 
consolation. 

''  The  consolation  of  Israel"  was  a  name  very  common 
among  the  Jews,  as  applied  to  their  expected  Messiah. 
But  when  he  came,  they  would  not  receive  him ;  nor 
could  they  perceive  consolation  in  any  thing  he 
preached  :  they  said  in  their  hearts, — Give  us  a  king- 
dom :  give  us  honor  :  and  we  will  acknowledge  thee  as 
a  consolation.  It  was  to  the  mourners  in  Zion  that 
Christ  was  appointed  to  be  a  consolation.  Isa.  Ixi.  2,  3. 

But  Simeon  not  only  believed  the  promise  of  Christ, 
and  waited  patiently  for  him,  but  he  waited  for  him  as 
**  the  consolation  of  Israel ;"  hereby  confessing  that  he 
could  find  consolation  nowhere  else.  It  was  as  though 
this  holy  man  had  said,  What  have  I  to  do  with  the 
noise  and  bustle,  the  commerce  and  the  politics  of 
Jerusalem  ?    I  am  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel ! 


132  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

which  included  all  that  he  thought  worth  possessing. 
In  *'the  consolation  of  Israel"  all  benefits  for  time  and 
eternity  are  concentrated ;  life,  health,  light,  security, 
support,  peace,  happiness,  "  wisdom,  righteousness, 
sanctification,  and  redemption !"  In  all  these  respects, 
Simeon  felt  that  Christ  was  his  consolation.  He  was 
a  man  of  prayer,  who  walked  with  God,  and  whose 
grand  transactions  lay  with  him.  He  was  waiting  at 
wisdom's  gates  ;  attending  God's  house  and  ordinances ; 
and  every  one  who  has  spiritual  union  to  Christ,  is 
willing  thus  to  wait  for  him. 

Whenever  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  leads  a  man  to  his 
Holy  Temple,  the  grand  discovery  that  he  will  make 
to  him  there  is,  Christ  as  his  salvation.  The  glory  of 
the  Lamb  of  God  is  only  seen  by  an  eye  of  faith. 

God  never  raises  expectations  to  m.ock  us.  If, 
therefore,  we  want  the  consolations  of  God,  we  must 
be  found  in  the  way  of  them.  He  that  seeks  shall  find. 
The  merchant  is  in  earnest  about  getting  money ;  and 
therefore  he  is  in  earnest  about  the  way  and  means  to 
get  it.     Consider, 

II.  The  blessedness  of  a  true  Israelite. 

He  is  one  who  has  found  "  the  chief  good,"  the  ''one 
thing  needful."  And,  having  found  this,  he  can  find 
nothing  else  in  the  world,  comparatively,  worth  living 
for.  He  is  one,  who  rejoices  in  the  hope  of  the  glory 
of  God.  Such  a  man  God  will  own  :  such  a  man  shall 
have  the  witness  in  himself.  Others  may  say,  "  Who 
will  show  me  any  good  ?"  but  he  will  say,  I  have  found 
it !  It  is  the  privilege  of  a  Christian,  and  of  him  only, 
to  rest  satisfied  with  what  he  has  found. 

It  is  the  Christian  only  that  really  despises  the  world  : 
others  may  pretend  to  do  it :  but  he  has  the  secret ;  for 
the  taper  is  only  put  out  by  the  rising  of  the  sun.    When 


CHARACTER    OF    SIMEON.  133 

Simeon  beheld  the  Lord's  Christ,  took  him  up  in  his 
arms  and  embraced  him,  he  could  say,  "  Lord,  now 
lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to 
thy  word ;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 

Whenever  we  have  obtained  what  Simeon  waited 
for,  and  rejoiced  in,  we  can  welcome  death ;  and  not 
till  then.  Then,  we  are  prepared  for  every  event,  in 
time  and  in  eternity.  Simeon  could,  without  hesita- 
tion, call  himself  the  servant  of  God ;  and  he  knew 
that,  whenever  he  might  depart,  he  should  be  with  his 
Master. 

We  must  distinguish  between  hearing  and  knowing, 
the  truth,  as  a  theory  or  speculation,  and  seeing  it  as 
the  salvation  of  God — "the  eyes  of  our  understand- 
ing being  enlightened."  I  may  deliver  the  truth  from 
the  pulpit,  and  you  may  clearly  understand  it,  and 
carry  away  the  theory  of  it  in  your  heads ;  and  your 
hearts  still  remain  unaffected  by  it.  If  you  ask  me, 
in  regard  to  any  individual  case,  Why  is  this?  I 
reply,  I  cannot  tell :  I  cannot  account  for  it ;  yet  such 
is  the  fact.  I  have  frequently  felt  astonishment  in 
observing  men  who  seemed  to  possess  the  clearest 
knowledge  of  the  Christian  religion,  as  a  system,  and 
who  were  capable  of  speaking  upon  its  doctrines  in  the 
fullest  and  most  accurate  manner,  who  yet,  after  all, 
were  living  "in  the  gall  of  bitterness,  and  the  bond 
of  iniquity."  Thus  Balaam  displayed  singular  gifts, 
knowledge  and  sagacity ;  and  yet,  where  shall  we  find 
so  distinguished  a  reprobate  ? 

We  must,  therefore,  set  it  down  as  a  momentous 
truth,  that  light  in  the  understanding,  and  life  in  the 
heart,  are  two  very  different  things.  Let  each  one 
before  me  inquire  whether,  like  Simeon,  he  has  taken 
Christ  into  his  arms  by  faith  and  love,  and  embraced 
him  as  '*  the  consolation  of  Israel  ?" 


134  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Let  us  remember,  that  God's  consolation  must  be 
sought  in  God's  way ;  and,  in  his  way,  it  shall  be  ob- 
tained. A  speculatist,  or  a  hypocrite,  may  come  to 
the  house  of  God  for  consolation,  but  will  always  re- 
turn disappointed.  But  let  not  the  humble  seeker  be 
discouraged  on  that  account.  Upon  our  first  setting 
out  in  religion,  we  are  apt  to  think  we  shall  receive 
our  comforts  in  our  own  way ;  forgetting  that  God  ap- 
points times  and  seasons ;  and  that  our  business  is  to 
wait  for  him.  What  a  life  of  expectation  was  Abra- 
ham's !  How  did  he  hope  against  hope !  and  through 
what  deep  waters  did  he  pass  !  Yet  "  he  staggered  not 
at  the  promise  through  unbelief." 

Who  among  us  would  raise  an  expectation  that  we 
did  not  mean  to  fulfil  ?  and  God  forbid  that  we  should 
put  less  confidence  in  him  that  we  should  place  in  one 
another !  and  yet  so  far  as  unbelief  prevails,  we  do  this. 
Heb.  vi.  16 — 19 ;  and  Rom.  viii.  32. 

I  feel  much  for  young  people.  They  are  constantly 
looking  for  happiness :  their  hearts  continually  cry, 
"Give,  give."  They  must  have  an  object;  and  they 
will  be  continually  changing  one  object  for  another, 
till  "  the  consolation  of  Israel"  becomes  their  consola- 
tion. May  none  of  the  children  here  present,  nor  any 
other  person  who  have  not  this  consolation,  rest  till  they 
have  obtained  possession  of  it ! 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian  to  stand  to  his  post,  and 
not  to  wish  to  depart  before  he  is  called.  His  work 
being  done,  he  will  say  with  Simeon,  "  Lord,  now  let 
thy  servant  depart  in  peace :"  the  toil  is  over,  and  I 
have  been  satisfied  with  the  toil,  so  long  as  I  have  been 
able  to  do  any  thing  for  God.  Let  me  depart  in  peace : 
I  have  nothing  now  to  settle  with  God,  or  with  con- 
science, or  with  men  :  let  me  now  walk  away,  as  a  ser- 
vant that  has  done  his  work.     Simeon  knew,  that  while 


TtfE    SONG    OF    ZACHARIAS.  135 

* 

he  received  in  Christ  the  best  gift  of  God,  he  received 
every  thing  in  that  gift.  "  He  that  spared  not  his  own 
Son,  but  deHvered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not 
with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things?" 


THE  SONG  OF  ZACHARIAS. 

Through  the  tender  nercy  of  our  God ;  whereby  the  day-spring  from 
on  high  hath  visited  us,  to  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness 
and  in  the  shadovir  of  death,  to  guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 
—Luke  i.  78,  79.  [1997.] 

Nothing  affords  a  finer  sight  in  the  creation  than 
the  rising  sun.  But  while  the  brute  beholds  it,  as  well 
as  man,  the  brute  cannot  admire  it ;  because  it  cannot 
rationally  contemplate  it.  But  what  comparison  is 
there  between  this  created  splendor,  and  the  rising 
beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  ?  Yet  most  men 
behold  his  glorious  rays  with  indifference;  perhaps 
think  of  the  subject  for  a  moment,  and  then  dismiss  it 
altogether  from  their  minds.  When  it  pleases  God  to 
enable  any  one  spiritually  to  comprehend  this  magnifi- 
cent object,  he  then  sees  that  it  not  only  brings  "glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,"  but ''  peace  on  earth,  and  good 
will  to  men."  Such  a  spiritual  view  drew  forth  the 
song  of  Zacharias,  when,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
he  prophesied,  saying,  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  for  he  hath  visited  and  redeemed  his  people  .  . 
.  .  .  through  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God ;  whereby 
the  day-spring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us."  And 
who  was  this  of  whom  he  spoke  ?  He  was  "  the  bright- 
ness of  his  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his 
person."     Heb.  i.  3. 


136  ORIGINAL   THOUGHTS. 

This  subject  addresses  itself  to  three  classes  of  man- 
kind : — 

I.  To  the    man,    that  is    destitute   of    spirit- 
ual   TASTE    TO  CONTEMPLATE    THIS    OBJECT. 

II.  To  the  man,  who  considers  it  only  a  secon- 
dary   OBJECT    OF    ATTENTION. 

III.  To  the  man,  who  is  possessed  of  its  saving 

LIGHT. 

I.  To  the  man,  who  is  destitute  of  spiritual 
TASTE.  He  may  be  a  heathen :  the  good  news  may 
never  have  reached  his  ear :  or,  he  may  be  an  infidel 
living  in  a  Christian  country ;  or,  he  may  be  a  man 
drowned  in  the  cares  of  this  world,  so  that  he  cannot 
look  up :  he  sitteth  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of 
death.  But  suppose,  while  thus  without  light,  he 
should  reflect :  what  must  be  such  a  man's  reflection  ? 
I  can  conceive  him  saying :  Here  I  am,  an  atom  of  an 
atom  world  ;  born  to-day,  and  dead  to-morrow  !  "  O, 
Lord,  hast  thou  made  all  men  for  nought?"  I  see  no 
ground  for  permanence,  or  for  hope. — The  light  has 
arisen,  if  this  man  could  see  it :  but  I  am  supposing 
that  he  does  not.  There  is  light,  but  he  cannot  per- 
ceive it.  But  because  he  sits  in  darkness,  is  he  to  con- 
clude that  there  is  no  "  day-spring  ?"  that  there  is 
no  "  Sun  of  Righteousness  V  "  The  true  light  now 
shineth,"  though  he  cannot  see  it.  A  man  may  be 
starved,  with  abundance  of  provisions  near  him,  if  he 
is  sitting  in  the  dark,  and  cannot  see  them.  So  Hagar, 
not  seeing  the  well  of  water  in  the  wilderness  of  Beer- 
sheba,  expected  that  her  child  would  perish  from  thirst, 
till  the  Lord  opened  her  eyes  to  behold  it.  See  Herod, 
and  his  men  of  war,  mocking  the  Creator  and  Sov- 
ereign of  the  universe,  as  if  he  had  been  a  feeble  mor- 
tal like  themselves  ;  and  that,  because  they  had  no  eyes 


THE    SONG    OF    ZACHARIAS.  137 

to  discern  his  divine  character.  Hear  Pilate  asking 
the  Supreme  Teacher,  "  What  is  Truth  V  but  yet  in- 
different to  the  subject  of  his  own  inquiry,  and  not 
deigning  to  wait  for  an  answer.  Light  was  come  into 
the  world,  but  "  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light." 
Judas  saw  the  light,  though  he  betrayed  it.  In  all 
these  there  was  a  carnal  heart :  "  the  light  shined  in 
darkness,  but  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not." 
What  a  loss  must  all  such  persons  sustain  !  They  will 
not  come  to  the  light :  nay,  they  even  deny  its  exist- 
ence, and  treat  with  contempt  those  who  seeing  it,  and 
rejoicing  in  it  themselves,  would  bring  others  to  behold 
it,  that  they  might  rejoice  in  it  also  ! 

But  this  is  not  the  worst.  The  man  that  sits  in 
darkness  is  not  merely  a  loser,  but  there  are  strong  de- 
lusions— the  sorceries  in  this  w^orld,  the  god  of  this 
world.  And  what  is  there  to  oppose  these  ?  He  has 
no  antidote  in  the  blood  of  the  Covenant,  as  the  quieter 
of  conscience — as  offering  hope  ;  he  has  no  comfort  in 
the  truth  that  Christ  is  able  "  to  save  unto  the  utter- 
most all  that  come  unto  God  through  him,"  and  "  to  do 
exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or 
think  :" — but  such  a  man,  while  taking  his  course  in  the 
dark,  becomes  ensnared.  If  we  saw  a  traveller  in  the 
night,  ignorant  of  his  way,  and  unconscious  of  dan- 
ger, we  should  pity  him  :  but  not  so  much  as  if  we 
saw  him  drawn  and  enticed  into  the  way  of  murderers, 
and  that  by  one  pretending  to  set  him  in  the  right 
road.  Yet  such  is  the  case  of  the  man  "  led  captive 
by  the  devil  at  his  will."  Satan  holds  up  a  fatal  screen 
between  him  and  "  the  day-spring  from  on  high,"  and 
then  leads  him  away  into  the  paths  of  ruin  !  Let  none 
persuade  you  that  this  is  merely  figurative.  It  is  a 
simple  matter  of  fact. — I  address  now, 


138  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

II.  The  man,  who  considers  the  subject  only  as 

A  SECONDARY  CONCERN. 

He  is  a  mere  speculatist  in  religion.  A  man  of  this 
sort  is  educated  in  his  creed ;  he  has  considered  Chris- 
tianity as  to  its  authenticity,  as  to  its  benefit  to  man- 
kind ;  he  will  even  declare  that  a  spirit  of  infidelity  is 
a  state  of  madness.  He  will,  like  Herod,  do  "  many 
things ;"  he  says,  Christianity  is  a  blessing  to  the  world, 
and  that  there  is  no  other  hope  :  but,  what  is  the  result 
of  all  this  ?  Does  he  embrace,  and  ever  hold  fast  the 
blessed  hope  of  everlasting  life  ?  Is  he  really  awak- 
ened to  his  danger  as  a  lost  sinner  ?  Does  he  "  strive 
to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  ?"  Does  he  "  flee  for 
refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  him  ?"  Does  he  repent  '^ 
Does  he  pray?  Does  he  depend  upon  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  ?  or  rather,  does  not  conscience  bear  a 
testimony  to  the  reverse  of  all  this  ? 

This  man  is  under  the  dominion  of  some  sin — some 
ruling  passion.  It  is  not  the  worst  thing  about  him 
that  he  is  without  light ;  but  he  essentially  resembles 
his  carnal  neighbors,  by  being  the  victim  of  some  fatal 
error,  which  prevents  him  from  receiving  any  benefit 
from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  He  has  taken  up 
truth  only  partially.  The  man  who  beholds  *'the 
day-spring  from  on  high,"  has  received  truth  practi- 
cally ;  and  if  the  truth  be  not  thus  received,  it  deserves 
no  better  name  than  that  of  a  mere  notion  :  he  does 
not  come  to  the  light  as  such.  He  does  not  sincerely 
desire  holiness.  No  man  in  Christendom  can  be  a 
neutral  character :  "  He  that  is  not  with  us,"  says 
Christ,  'Ms  against  us :"  and  St.  John  affirms,  "  He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life,  and  he  that 
believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  upon  him."    We  are  all  naturally 


THE    SONG    OF    ZACHARIAS.  139 

"  children  of  wrath  ;"  but  if  it  has  pleased  God  to  shine 
into  our  hearts,  then  we  shall  be  anxious  to  obtain 
effectual  deliverance  from  the  prince  of  darkness.  It 
is  characteristic  of  a  Christian  that  he  is  constantly 
anxious  to  get  more  and  more  into  the  light ;  and  to 
escape  from  "  the  bondage  of  corruption." 

If  infidels  and  atheists  do  not  come  to  church,  are 
there  not  many  of  the  second  class,  here  described, 
who  do  ?  and  yet  who  do  not  come  to  the  light.  Let 
not  any  imagine  that  infidels  and  atheists  are  the  only 
men  who  do  not  come  to  the  light.  The  mere  specu- 
lator, the  rationalist,  the  priest-ridden  Papist,  and  the 
proud  self-righteous  Pharisee,  must  all,  in  this  respect, 
be  classed  with  infidels  and  atheists.  The  light  that 
mere  reason  emits  is  a  spark  which  the  world  soon 
quenches.  But  the  light  of  "  the  day-spring  from  on 
high"  shines  brighter  and  brighter  amidst  surrounding 
darkness  !     I  proceed  to  address  myself, 

III.  To  THE  MAN  WHO  IS  POSSESSED  OF  THE  SAVING 
LIGHT  OF  LIFE. 

As  this  man  is  clearly  opposed  in  his  character  to 
the  first  class  described,  so,  he  may  be  plainly  distin- 
guished from  the  second  class,  whose  religion  consists 
in  a  mere  notion.  But  to  receive  the  truth  practically 
— to  "  lay  hold  of  eternal  life" — implies  that  a  man  is 
not  only  convinced  of  the  truth,  but  that  he  is  alive  to 
his  lost  estate,  and  that  he  clearly  discerns  his  remedy : 
that  he  is  one  of  those  blessed  persons  that  "  know  the 
joyful  sound."  Psa.  Ixxxix.  15.  That,  like  the  wise 
men  who  saw  the  star,  and  followed  it,  so  he,  seeing 
that  "  the  day-spring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us," 
rejoices  in  the  light,  and  experiences  the  truth  of  what 
our  Saviour  said,  "  He  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk 
in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life."     The  light 


140  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

that  is  in  such  a  man  ''  shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day." 

In  conclusion,  I  would  address  the  humble  inquire}^ 
who  is  "  walking  in  darkness,  and  hath  no  light.''  The 
Bible  makes  a  wide  distinction  between  sitting  in 
darkness  and  walking  in  darkness.  A  man  in  the 
former  state,  is  an  insensible  hardened  felon  :  the  latter, 
so  far  as  mere  nature  goes,  may  be  a  man  of  a  tender 
conscience ;  a  man  pressed  down  by  affliction  ;  or  a 
man  seeking,  in  the  midst  of  darkness,  for  the  right 
way.  Such  a  man  must  be  regarded  as  a  prisoner  ; 
but  he  is  "  a  prisoner  of  hope."  Jeremiah  might  be 
shut  up  in  a  dungeon  ;  but  the  dungeon  could  not  keep 
out  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  The  day- 
spring  from  on  high  shone  upon  him,  even  there.  The 
direction  to  such  will  be  found,  Isa.  1.  11,  "Who  is 
among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the 
voice  of  his  servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness  and  hath 
no  light  ?  Let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
stay  upon  his  God."  The  light  of  the  Gospel,  when  it 
shines  into  the  heart,  brings  with  it  its  own  evidence. 
It  is  also  progressive,  and  continually  increasing.  It  is 
"  as  if  a  man  should  cast  seed  into  the  ground ;  and 
should  sleep,  and  rise  night  and  day,  and  the  seed 
should  spring  and  grow  up,  he  knoweth  not  how." 

Let  us  all  remember,  that  the  light  which  shines  so 
gloriously,  shines  but  for  a  time.  There  is  a  time  of 
visitation  and  opportunity  :  we  know  not  how  long  it 
may  last.  A  Christian  is  taught  to  seek  this  light,  to 
receive  it,  and  to  walk  according  to  it.  Does  any  one 
ask,  How  shall  I  know  whether  the  day-spring  from  on 
high  hath  visited  my  soul  ?  The  question  is.  Are  you 
enlightened  by  it  ?  There  have  been  no  greater  in- 
stances of  darkness  than  among  those  who  have  boasted 
of  being  illuminated  from  above.     If  it  be  God's  light, 


THE     NATIVITY.  141 

it  brings  you  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  Christ,  praying  for 
more  light :  "Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold 
wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law."  It  is  a  blessed  influ- 
ence when  a  man  comes  under  the  sound  of  the  Gospel, 
and  receives  this  light  into  his  soul.  Are  you  such 
recipients  of  the  true  light  ?  Then  own  your  friend . 
There  are  some  who  see  more  than  they  are  willing  to 
profess,  like  the  parents  of  the  blind  man,  John  ix.  22. 
It  is  God's  marvellous  light  that  takes  a  poor  benighted 
creature  and  shows  him  a  prospect  into  eternity ;  and 
therefore  not  to  glorify  him  by  an  open  confession,  is  a 
great  sin.  Take  heed  how  the  devil  persuade  you  to 
trifle  with  your  opinions :  rather  cry,  "  Search  me,  O 
God,"  and  prove  me  in  every  dark  corner  of  my  heart ; 
and  "  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting." 

To  those  asleep  in  sin,  I  would  say,  Awake,  ye  who 
are  so  careless  about  being  lighted  to  heaven  ! 


THE  NATIVITY. 

And  she  brought  forth  her  first-born  son,  and  wrapped  him  in  swad- 
dling clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a  manger ;  because  there  was  no  room 
for  them  in  the  inn. — Luke  ii.  7.  [1799.] 

Inasmuch  as  it  is  the  chief  design  of  Satan  to  hide 
the  grand  object  we  commemorate  this  day — so  it  is 
our  duty  and  privilege  to  be  more  inquisitive  into  what 
the  Apostle  calls  "the  whole  counsel  of  God." 

Revelation  is  not  addressed  to  our  reason,  or  opinion, 
but  to  the  obedience  of  faith.  It  would  have  been 
unworthy  the  Almighty  to  have  said  to  poor  ignorant 
worms,  What  do  you  think  of  my  scheme  of  salvation  ? 


142  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Instead  of  this,  he  speaks  worthy  of  himself — "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord." 

I.  Let  us  contemplate  this  stupendous  matter 

OF  FACT  DECLARED  IN  THE  TEXT. 

IL  Let  us  make  a  few  general  inferences 

FROM  IT. 

And  let  us  do  this  with  the  Bible  in  our  hand ;  for 
we  are  never  safe  but  as  we  take  the  Bible  for  our 
guide. 

L  Let  us  contemplate  this  stupendous  matter  of 
fact  declared  in  the  text.  This  fact  was  declared 
to  our  first  parents  immediately  after  the  fall :  "  The 
seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head."  It 
was  declared  to  Abraham :  "  In  thee,  and  in  thy  seed, 
shall  all  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed."  It  was  de- 
clared to  Moses :  "  A  prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God 
raise  up  unto  you  like  unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear.'* 
He  shall  not  only  be  a  Prophet,  but^  a  Priest  and  a 
King,  to  whom  they  should  bow  down  ;  and  though  he 
shall  stoop  so  low  as  to  lie  in  a  manger,  yet,  that  none 
might  be  stumbled  at  that,  it  was  said,  He  shall  be 
called  "  the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the 
Prince  of  Peace  :"  and,  "  the  Lord  our  Righteousness." 
He  it  is  of  whom  St.  John  speaks :  "  The  Word  was 
made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  (and  we  beheld  his 
glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,) 
full  of  grace  and  truth !"  It  was  not  man  made  God, 
but  God  made  man.  "  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God, 
thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God."  Phil.  ii. 
6.  Hereafter  he  shall  appear  in  his  glory ;  and  "  then 
shall  the  King  say  to  those  on  his  right  hand,  Come  ye 
blessed :  but  to  those  on  his  left.  Go  ve  cursed." 

Some  one  may  be  ready  to  exclaim — What !  are  you 


THE    NATIVITY.  143 

speaking  about  "the  Babe  wrapped  in  swaddling 
clothes"  all  this  time  ?  What !  was  the  "  Wonderful 
Counsellor,"  the  "mighty  God,"  nursed  in  a  manger? 
Brethren,  this,  as  I  said  before,  is  not  a  subject  set  be- 
fore us  for  reasoning,  but  for  the  obedience  of  faith. 
He  came  to  be  poor ;  to  be  despised  and  rejected  of 
men :  his  abasement  was  as  much  predicted  as  his 
coming.  It  was  predicted  that  he  should  be  born  at 
Bethlehem — that  he  should  be  laid  in  a  manger :  this 
was  "he  that  should  come;"  and  had  he  come  as  the 
Jews  expected,  he  had  not  been  the  Saviour  predicted. 
Whatever  the  Roman  emperor  meant  by  making  a 
decree  that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed,  God  over- 
ruled it  to  bring  about  his  own  design,  according  to 
what  the  prophets  had  foretold.  The  angels  did  not 
announce  him  to  the  Sanhedrim,  or  to  Herod,  but  to 
shepherds  watching  over  their  flocks  by  night ;  and 
because  the  angels  had  not  such  poor  low  views  as  man 
has,  no  sooner  had  they  declared  Christ,  and  where  he 
should  be  found,  than  they  cried  out,  "  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  to  man." 
From  this  stupendous  matter  of  fact  I  proceed, 

II.    To  DRAW  A   FEW  INFERENCES. 

1st.  When  we  see  the  Son  of  God  thus  abased — thus 
humbling  himself  to  become  a  helpless  infant,  lying  in 
a  manger,  and  then  dying  on  the  cross — Does  not  this 
follow,  That  nothing  is  important  hut  what  is  eternal  ? 
The  Son  of  God  laid  by  his  glory  to  save  us  from  eter- 
nal woe.  He  came  to  teach  us  to  look  at  the  things 
unseen :  to  learn  the  worth  of  the  soul  that  he  came  to 
die  for :  he  came  to  teach  us  that  all  that  man  has  out 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  fleshly  and  failing :  but  "  Forasmuch 
as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he 
also  himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same,  that  through 


144  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power  of 
death,  that  is,  the  devil." 

2ndly.  It  appears  that  sin  is  the  great  and  only  posi- 
tive evil.  Christ  would  have  fellowship  with  us  in 
every  thing  but  sin  :  he  would  condescend  to  the  weak- 
ness of  infancy ;  he  would  hunger,  he  would  thirst,  he 
would  be  weary,  he  would  taste  of  grief,  but  he  wouJd 
have  no  communion  with  sin. 

Srdly.  We  should  also  learn  from  the  coming  of 
the  Son  of  God,  and  from  his  whole  course  on  earth, 
what  a  difficult  work  salvation  was.  We  talk  of  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  as  if  it  were  a  very  easy  thing. 
But  who  is  this  that  lies  abased  ?  Who  is  this  that 
goes  about  in  poverty,  sufferings,  hunger,  thirst,  and 
weariness  ?  What !  Is  the  removal  of  sin  so  easy, 
when  Christ  came  with  so  hard  a  task  to  perform  in 
order  to  take  it  away  ?  What  can  all  this  mean,  if  it 
was  not  absolutely  necessary  ? 

There  is  no  evidence  so  satisfactory  and  safe  as 
matter  of  fact.  Here  is  a  fact;  and  what  does  it 
prove  ?  It  proves  that  when  God  would  save  sinners 
he  could  not  save  himself.  Abel  brought  a  lamb  and 
offered  him  in  faith :  Cain  brought  of  the  fruit  of  the 
ground  an  offering  to  the  Lord.  He  seems  to  stand  at 
the  head  of  a  class  of  persons  who  keep  to  such  and 
such  a  mode  of  worship,  because  they  think  it  the  most 
rational.  But  let  us  bring  into  captivity  every  thought 
and  imagination  to  the  obedience  of  Christ. 

But,  4thly,  do  we  not  learn  from  this  fact  that  pov- 
erty in  itself  is  not  disgraceful  ?  Our  Lord  was  poorer 
than  any  other  Jew.  Few  but  have  some  shed  to  call 
their  own :  our  Lord  went  to  the  stable  and  the  man- 
ger. If  any  man  is  so  poor  as  to  be  carried  to  a  work- 
house, let  him  consider  that  our  Lord  was  carried  to  a 
stable.     Christ  came  to  exhibit  the  truth,  that  meanness 


THE    NATIVITY.  145 

and  poverty,  if  connected  with  holiness,  are  honorable. 
And  he  has  declared  that  there  is  a  day  coming  when 
he  will  gather  all  that  are  his,  however  mean,  and  de- 
spised by  the  world,  as  his  jewels.  Mal.iii.  17.  The 
rich  are  also  here  instructed  :  they  should  see  in  a  poor 
man  the  image  of  our  Saviour;  and  learn  to  sympa- 
thize with  the  poor,  and  relieve  them. 

5thly.  If  Christ  so  stooped,  so  labored  for  us,  how 
should  we  learn  from  this  fact  and  examjjle  to  labor  for 
him,  and  to  serve  him  !  What  w\\\  the  idle,  the  ambi- 
tious, the  delicate,  say  at  the  day  of  judgment  ?  Should 
we  not,  like  the  apostle,  be  ready  to  lay  down  our  lives 
for  his  sake  ?  The  travail  of  Christ's  soul  began  as 
soon  as  he  came  upon  earth :  from  the  first,  "  he  bore 
the  contradiction  of  sinners  ;"  his  holy  soul  was  grieved 
at  sin  :  and  especially  this  was  seen  in  his  last  agony. 
And  shall  not  we  be  willing  to  bear  reproach  for  his 
sake  ?  to  give  up  all  for  him  ?  The  best  offering  we 
can  make  is  a  crucified  lust,  a  contrite  heart,  an  ador- 
ing love  !  Let  us  say  with  the  apostle,  "  Yea,  doubt- 
less, I  count  all  things  but  dross,  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord." 

Is  any  one  asking,  How  shall  I  properly  meet  and 
receive  this  Saviour  who  is  come  in  such  love  to  my 
soul  ?  I  answer,  Meet  this  truth  with  attention  and 
reverence.  Follow  the  ark,  but  do  not  look  into  it  pre- 
sumptuously :  receive  this  truth  with  unlimited  confi- 
dence, and  with  holy  resolution  to  abide  by  it.  *'  None 
stirreth  up  himself,"  saith  the  prophet,  to  take  hold  on 
thee.  Let  us  look  at  our  past  lives,  and  see  what  have 
been  the  chief  impediments  to  our  receiving  Christ  into 
our  hearts  ;  we  are  all  the  children  of  a  fallen  head ; 
and  till  we  are  renewed,  and  united  by  faith  to  the 
Second  Adam,  there  is  neither  help  nor  hope.     There- 

7 


\ 

146  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

fore  let  us  pray  that  God  the  Spirit  may  take  of  the 
things  of  Christ  and  show  them  unto  us. 

Some  are  led  by  this  subject  to  inquire  into  the 
origin  of  evil.  There  is  no  answer  to  this  but  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis,  where  we  read  that  sin  entered, 
and  there  also  we  read  the  remedy.  If  a  man  discovers 
a  fire  in  his  house,  he  does  not  stand  to  inquire  how  it 
took  fire;  but  his  great  concern  is  how  to  put  it  out. 
It  was  the  business  of  man  in  the  deluge  to  get  into  the 
Ark.  God  sends  his  ministers  to  declare  the  remedy, 
and  we  are  commanded  to  receive  it.  Beware  of 
stumbling  at  this  "  stumbling-stone  !" 

But  let  none  despair  :  Christ  did  not  undertake  what 
he  could  not  perform.  Let  us  plead  his  own  remedy. 
This  is  a  matter  of  such  grand  importance,  than  one 
would  think  a  man  could  not  go  home  and  return  to 
his  worldly  matters,  and  think  no  more  about  it.  "  How 
shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation?" 
People  suppose  religion  to  be  a  mere  matter  of  opinion  : 
God  says  it  is  a  matter  of  the  heart.  "  For  this  pur- 
pose was  the  Son  of  God  manifested,  that  he  might 
destroy  the  works  of  the  devil." 

Lastly,  Let  us  behold  and  admire  the  astonishing 
grace,  that  God  should  give  his  Son.  Let  us  take  the 
benefit  of  this  mystery,  and  adore  the  wonderful  mercy 
displayed.  You,  who  have  felt  your  ruin,  come  to  this 
Almighty  Saviour.  Sit  at  his  feet,  as  Mary  did  ;  and 
cast  down  every  proud  reasoning.  All  our  hopes  for 
time  and  eternity  depend  on  how  we  receive  God's 
plan  of  redemption  by  Christ.  Every  blessing  comes 
to  us  through  him.  Our  backwardness  to  accept  of 
this  free  salvation  may  detect  the  pride  of  our  hearts : 
we  are  not  sufficiently  convinced  of  our  lost  estate. 
Christ  is  to  us  what  the  city  of  refuge  was  to  the  man- 
slayer  :  the  manslayer  knew  he  was  safe  when  his  feet 


PRESENTATION   OF  CHRIST  IN  THE  TEMPLE.  147 

were  on  the  first  step  of  the  city  of  refuge.  We  should 
receive  this  mercy  with  joy.  The  angels  said  to  the 
shepherds,  "  Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
joy  which  shall  be  to  all  peo])le,  for  unto  you  is  born 
this  day,  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  which  is 
Christ  the  Lord."  The  man  who  has  this  joy  will  say, 
The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  my  strength  1 

We  are  called  to  embrace  these  truths  as  our  only 
comfort  here,  and  our  everlasting  security.  In  Christ, 
there  is  a  sufficient  righteousness  to  justify  all  who  are 
the  children  of  Abraham  by  faith.  "  Surely  shall  one 
say,  in  the  Lord  have  I  righteousness  and  strength. 
Isa.  xlv.  24. 


THE  PRESENTATION  OF  CHRIST  IN  THE 

TEMPLE. 

And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and  said  unto  Mary  his  mother,  Behold,  this 
child  is  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of  many  in  Israel ;  and  for 
a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken  against ;  (yea,  a  sword  shall  pierce 
through  thy  own  soul  also.)  that  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be 
revealed.— Luke  ii.  34,  35.  [1806.] 

St.  Luke  records  many  circumstances  not  mentioned 
by  the  other  Evangelists  ;  among  which  is  this  account 
of  Simeon,  a  just  and  devout  man,  who  was  waiting 
for  the  consolation  of  Israel.  When  Joseph  and  Mary 
brought  in  the  child  Jesus  to  present  him  to  the  Lord, 
according  to  the  law  respecting  the  first-born,  Simeon, 
by  direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  came  at  the  same  mo- 
ment into  the  temple,  embraced  the  infant  Saviour  in 
his  arms,  and  bore  an  honorable  testimony  to  him  as 
the  true  Messiah. 


148  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

In  discoursing  upon  this  subject,  I  shall  endeavor, 

I.  To  CONFIRM  THE  WORDS  OF  THE  TEXT. 
II.  To  IMPROVE  THEM. 
I.  To  CONFIRM  THE  WORDS  OF  THE  TEXT.   Bchold 

this  Child,  as  the  "  precious  Corner-stone,"  placed  here 
with  this  very  design,  "  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of 
many  in  Israel/'  Not  as  the  instrument,  but  as  he 
would  prove  the  occasion.  Jesus  Christ  was  set  for  the 
fall  of  many,  not  as  the  end  of  his  appointment ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  was  an  effect  directly  opposite  to  that  end  ; 
but  inasmuch  as  his  coming  into  the  world  would  prove 
to  many  an  occasion  of  falling. 

We  may  here  regard  two  things :  1st,  the  fact,  as 
manifested  in  ancient  limes  ;  and  2ndlv,  as  obvious  also 
in  modern  times. 

1st.  Christ,  "the  chief  Corner-stone,"  proved  the  oc- 
casion of  the  fall  of  many  hi  ancient  times.  He  was 
mdeed  "  the  true  light,  that  lia;hteth  everv  man  that 

CD         '  O  ./ 

Cometh  into  the  world  :"  but  "  the  world  knew  him 
not.  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received 
him  not."  He  was  to  them  ''  for  a  stone  of  stumbling, 
and  for  a  rock  of  offence," — words  directly  prophesied 
of  by  Isaiah.  "Sanctify  the  Lord  of  Hosts  himself; 
and  let  him  be  your  fear,  and  let  him  be  your  dread. 
And  he  shall  be  for  a  sanctuaiy  ;  but  for  a  stone  of 
stumbling  and  for  a  rock  of  offence  to  both  the  houses 
of  Israel,  for  a  gin  and  for  a  snare  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem."  This  text  must  be  an  everlasting  riddle, 
an  enigma,  if  we  do  not  see,  that  Christ  not  only  was, 
but  is  still,  "a  stone  of  stumbling."  He  became  a  stum- 
bling-block to  the  Jew  by  the  simplicity  of  his  appear- 
ance ;  and  foolishness  to  the  Greek  by  the  character 
of  his  doctrine.     But  was  he  not,  in  truth,  "  the  power 


PRESENTATION   OF  CHRIST  IN  THE   TEMPLE.  149 

of  God,  and  and  the  wisdom  of  God"  to  every  one  that 
beheveth  ? 

But,  2ndly,  let  us  come  to  modern  times ;  what  is  the 
fact  now  ?  I  do  not  send  you  to  China  or  Barbary  ; 
we  will  look  at  home,  where  "  the  true  light  now 
shineth  ;"  where  the  Gospel  is  brought  to  our  doors. 
Christ  is  come  ;  his  birth  is  commemorated ;  and  how  ? 
A  day  is  indeed  publicly  set  apart ;  but  how  is  it  kept 
— and  that,  b}^  a  people  calling  themselves  Christians  ? 
In  revellings  and  banquetings,  in  gluttony  and  drunk- 
enness ;  with  a  scornful  disregard  of  the  event  they 
propose  to  celebrate !  Is  this  the  fact  ?  Is  not  then 
the  text  applicable  to  modern  times  ?  Is  not  Christ 
made  an  occasion  of  falling  to  all  such  persons  ? 

But  Christ  was  also  to  be  ''for  a  sign  which  shall  be 
spoken  against."  We  preach  Christ,  as  the  light  of 
the  world :  but  with  many,  and  perhaps  with  some 
here,  such  preaching  is  called  "the  cant  of  a  sect:" 
they  find  that  the  preaching  of  Christ  disturbs  them ; 
they  wish  to  live  in  carnal  ease.  But  woe  to  them 
that  sew  pillows  to  all  arm-holes  !  woe  to  them  who 
save  the  souls  alive  that  should  not  live,  by  lyinpj  to 
the  people  who  hear  their  lies  !  Ezek.  xiii.  17 — 23. 
One  will  say,  "  I  do  not  deny  the  coming  of  Christ,  but 
wiiy  say  so  much  about  it?"  "I  do  not  like  the  doc- 
trine," says  another  :  "  it  is  a  sort  of  mysticism."  Then 
this  Scripture  applies  to  you,  this  day :  the  thoughts  of 
your  hearts  are  revealed  :  the  preaching  of  Christ  is  to 
you  "  a  stumbling-stone  !"  Christ  is  for  you  "  a  sign 
which  shall  be  spoken  against."  "  Behold,  ye  despisers, 
and  wonder,  and  perish :  for  I  work  a  work  in  your 
days,  a  work  which  ye  shall  in  no  wise  believe,  though 
a  man  declare  it  unto  you."  Acts  xiii.  41.  Some  say, 
"  I  do  not  understand  how  Christ  can  be  the  life  of  the 
soul :  I  do  not  know  what  j-ou  mean  by  being  grafted 


150  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

into  Christ  the  True  Vine  :  and  as  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement,  I  think  it  a  doctrine  of  licentiousness  :  then, 
I  may  throw  the  reins  on  my  lusts,  and  live  as  I  like." 
Indeed  !  what,  then,  becomes  of  the  doctrine  of  sancti- 
fication  ?  of  holiness  in  heart  and  life  ?  of  good  works, 
as  the  fruits  of  faith  ?  But  these  objections  are  as  old. 
as  St.  Paul's  time :  there  were  some  which  said  then, 
*'  Let  us  do  evil,  that  good  may  come ;"  but  of  such  it 
is  added,  ''  whose  damnation  is  just." 

The  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  is  fully  set  forth 
by  St.  Paul :  listen  to  his  own  words.  "  It  is  one  God, 
which  shall  justify  the  circumcision  by  faith,  and  uncir- 
cumcision  through  faith.  Do  we  then  make  void  the 
law  through  faith  ?  God  forbid  :  yea,  we  establish  the 
law."  Rom.  iii.  30,  31.  Again,  "But  if,  while  we 
seek  to  be  justified  by  Christ,  we  ourselves  also  are 
found  sinners,  is  therefore  Christ  the  minister  of  sin  ? 
God  forbid.  For  if  I  build  again  the  things  which  I 
destroyed,  I  make  myself  a  transgressor."  Gal.  ii.  17, 
18.  To  bring  forth  fruit  unto  God,  requires  a  living 
faith  :  but  these  objectors  know  nothing  of  Christ's 
character,  or  of  the  real  designs  of  his  coming,  though 
living  in  one  of  the  most  enlightened  parts  of  Chris- 
tendom. 

But  the  text  speaks  of  Christ,  not  only  as  set  for  "  the 
fall  of  many,"  and  "  for  a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken 
against,"  but  also,  as  set  for  "  the  rising  again  of  many 
in  Israel." 

I  am  of  opinion,  with  a  very  able  biblical  critic,  that 
two  distinct  descriptions  of  persons  are  here  spoken  of. 
Those  who  "  fall,"  are  those  who  stumble  at  "  the 
stumblins-stone"  above  referred  to  in  Isaiah  viii.  14. 
Those  spoken  of  as  "  rising  again,"  are  such  as  obtain 
a  spiritual  resurrection  from  a  death  in  trespasses  and 
sins.     To  such  as  receive  the  Gospel,  it  is  ''a  savor  of 


PRESENTATION  OF  CHRIST  IN  THE  TEMPLE.  151 

life  unto  life ;"  while  "  to  those  who  stumble  at  the 
word  being  disobedient"  it  becomes  "  a  savor  of  death 
unto  death." 

We  are  told  in  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of  the 
Acts,  that  "  Paul  dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own 
hired  house,  and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him, 
preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching  those 
things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all 
confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him."  They  came  to 
inquire  "  concerning  this  sect,"  .  .  .  .  "  everywhere 
spoken  against ;"  but  by  means  of  whose  preaching 
there  should  be  a  resurrection  of  many  in  Israel.  "  The 
rising  again,"  or  resurrection,  is  so  termed  in  consider- 
ation of  our  state  by  nature :  for,  as  the  poet  says, 

"  Plung'd  in  a  gulf  of  dark  despair, 
We  wretched  sinners  lay ; 
Without  one  cheerful  beam  of  hope, 
Or  spark  of  ghmmering  day." 

But  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  we  become 
"  prisoners  of  hope  :"  "  for  God  sent  not  his  Son  into 
the  world  to  condemn  the  world ;  but  that  the  world 
through  him  might  be  saved."  Christ  "  came  unto  his 
own,  and  his  own  received  him  not.  But  as  many  as 
received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name : 
which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God."  Now,  was 
not  this  a  resurrection  ?  Let  us  consider  this  fact, 
namely,  that  Christ  was  set  for  "  the  rising  again"  of 
many  in  Israel,  in  relation  both  to  ancient  and  modern 
times. 

Here  is  Simeon,  a  just  and  devout  man,  waiting 
with  patience  for  Christ's  coming,  as  "  the  consolation 
of  Israel :"    he  is  raised  even  into   the  spirit  of  pro- 


152  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

phesy ;  "  the  Holy  Ghost  was  upon  hhn,"  and  enabled 
him  to  speak  things  above  himself:  he  arrives  at  a  holy 
contempt  of  life,  and  says,  "Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy 
salvation." 

Anna,  a  prophetess,  who  "  served  God  with  fastings 
and  prayers  night  and  day,"  coming  in  at  the  in- 
stant when  Christ  was  presented  in  the  temple,  "  gave 
thanks  likewise  unto  the  Lord,  and  spake  of  him  to  all 
them  that  looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem :"  z\  e. 
she  made  an  open  profession  of  her  faith  concerning 
this  child ;  and,  as  a  prophetess,  instructed  others  con- 
cerning him. 

Though  Nathanael,  under  his  first  prejudices,  asks 
*'  Can  there  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?" 
yet,  "when  he  comes  to  Christ,  and  is  convinced  of  his 
omniscience,  he  exclaims,  "  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of 
God,  thou  art  the  King  of  Israel :"  i.  e.  the  King  of 
Israel  whom  we  have  been  long  waiting  for. 

Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  though  at  first  ap- 
proaching Christ  timidly  by  night,  yet  afterwards  he 
owns  him  publicly,  by  doing  honor  to  the  body  of 
Jesus,  together  with  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  So  in  the 
case  of  the  centurion,  he  owned  Christ's  divine  power  : 
*'  Speak  the  word  only,  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed.'* 
How  did  Christ's  disciples  bear  testimony  to  their 
divine  Master  !  "  Lord  !  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  thou 
hast  the  words  of  eternal  life."  And  after  his  ascen- 
sion, how  did  Christ  appear  for  "  the  rising  again"  of 
Saul  the  persecutor ;  Lydia  a  seller  of  purple  ;  and  the 
jailer  of  Philippi !  All  these  had  their  hearts  opened 
to  receive  Christ ;  and  were  raised  from  a  death  of  sin 
unto  a  life  of  righteousness.  They  all  seem  to  say, 
"  This  is  the  stone  set  at  nought  by  the  builders,  but 


PRESENTATION  OF  CHRIST  IN  THE  TEMPLE.  153 

marvellous  in  our  eyes."     How  were  the  noble  army 
of  martyrs  raised  up  to  a  holy  courage  in  suffering  ! 

Nor  do  we  want  witness  in  modern  times  that  Christ 
is  "set  for  the  rising  again  of  many."  I  believe  that 
the  Gospel  is  nowhere  faithfully  preached,  but  this 
"  sign"  accompanies  it.  It  is  made  "  to  prosper  in  the 
thing  whereto  it  is  sent."  The  blind  may  lead  the 
blind  for  a  century ;  but  when  the  light  of  truth  ap- 
pears, the  scene  is  changed.  I  speak  of  facts.  In  this 
place,  a  person  who  was  ninety  years  of  age,  experi- 
enced the  great  and  essential  change  of  spiritual  re- 
generation :  he  was  enabled  to  take  hold  of  Christ  by 
faith;  "I  need/'  said  he,  "  that  '  fountain  opened  for 
sin  and  uncleanness' — '  that  wedding-garment'  to  clothe 
me  ;  I  need  his  support  to  lead  me  ;  his  shield,  to  de- 
fend me  !"  He  then  confessed  that  Christ  had  become 
his  life,  his  portion,  and  his  joy  !  This  was  his  dying 
testimony.  I  have  seen  proofs  of  this  fact  in  many, 
who  could  say  with  Job,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth :"  and  with  Paul,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  be- 
lieved ;  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that 
which  I  have  committed  to  him  against  that  day." 
Are  not  these  facts  proving  the  truth  of  the  text  ? 
Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  had  them  fulfilled  not  only 
when  she  was  raised  up  in  strong  affection  for  the 
promised  Seed,  but  when  she  sank  in  grief  at  his  cross. 
Then  truly  "  a  sword  pierced  through  her  soul :"  for 
he  was  to  be  a  suffering  Jesus  ;  and  she,  from  the 
nearness  of  her  relation,  and  the  strength  of  her  affec- 
tion, should  suffer  also,  at  his  crucifixion,  more  than 
any  other  of  his  relatives.  Many  understand  these 
words  as  a  prediction  of  her  martyrdom,  and  some  of 
the  ancients  say  that  it  had  its  accomplishment  literally 
in  that  fact. — I  now  proceed, 


154  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

II.    To  IMPROVE  THE  SUBJECT, 

Christ  is  to  this  day  a  touchstone  of  many  hearts  ; 
"  that  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed." 
We  behold  the  FonnaHst,  the  Socinian,  the  Trifler — 
all  saying,  "  Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas  !"  The  Chris- 
tian will  show  what  he  is  by  his  taste,  his  manners, 
his  companions  ;  but  above  all,  by  his  open  confession 
of  Christ.  When  Peter  answered,  "  Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,"  it  was  said  to  him, 
"  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona  :  for  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven." 

Brethren !  I  have  shown  you  Christ  as  *''  set  for  the 
fall  and  rising  again  of  many  in  Israel ;"  I  now  direct 
your  eye  to  him  as  a  Touchstone  of  character  ! 
The  subject  is  instructive :  hear  what  the  Lord  says 
by  the  Prophet  Malachi :  "  Behold,  I  will  send  my  mes- 
senger, and  he  shall  prepare  the  way  before  me ;  and 
the  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his 
temple,  even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye 
delight  in :  behold,  he  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts.  But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming  ? 
and  who  shall  stand  when  he  appeareth  ?  for  he  is  like 
a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fullers'  soap."  The  subject  is 
therefore  searching :  let  us  not  flatter  ourselves,  and 
generalize  it,  till  it  has  no  meaning  at  all. 

What  then  is  meant  by  these  words — "  That  the 
thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed  ?"  I  fear, 
that  many  would  find  Christ  set  up  for  their  fall,  if  the 
thoughts  of  their  hearts  were  revealed  !  I  remember 
trying,  when  I  was  a  wicked,  thoughtless  young  man, 
to  find  objections  against  religious  books,  when  given 
to  me.  My  thoughts  were  known  by  the  answers  I 
then  gave.     But  God's  counsel  will  stand,  whatever 


PRESENTATION    OF    CHRIST    IN    THE    TEMPLE.  155 

may  be  our  objections.  Christ  was  not  only  rejected 
by  the  Jews,  but  he  is  scorned  by  many,  even  in  pro- 
fessedly Christian  countries ;  where  thousands  reveal 
what  their  thoughts  are,  by  speaking  against  him  in  all 
that  respects  his  true  dignity,  and  the  nature  and  ends 
of  his  mission.  Thus,  Christ  is  a  touchstone  of  the 
human  heart :  his  doctrine  detects,  and  makes  manifest 
its  wickedness ;  and,  under  the  influence  of  his  Spirit, 
restores  it  to  holiness  and  to  God. 

Brethren  !  your  thoughts  will  be  revealed  by  answer- 
ing this  question.  How  do  you  receive  Christ?  Christ  , 
is  come  here — to  this  neighborhood  ;  how  do  you  re- 
ceive him?  Do  you  say,  like  Simeon,  "Mine  eyes 
have  seen  thy  salvation  ?"  The  consideration  of  this 
prophecy  is  a  serious  call. to  our  hearts  :  it  says,  "  Kiss 
the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish  from  the 
way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed 
are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him."  Remember, 
where  a  dispensation  of  grace  is  not  improved,  it  will 
soon  be  removed.     Prov.  i.  24 — 32. 

Let  me  sa}^  to  Christians : — Every  step  in  the  ways 
of  God  brings  fresh  evidence  that  they  are  ways  of 
pleasantness  and  peace.  Every  step  we  take  from  the 
table  of  the  Lord  to-day  to  the  table  of  his  kingdom 
above,  we  shall  be  more  and  more  certain  of  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel.  "  If  any  man,"  says  Christ,  "  hear  my 
voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will 
sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me."     Rev.  iii.  20. 


156  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


THE  PURPOSE  OF  GOD  IN  THE  INCARNATION 

OF  CHRIST. 

But  when  the  fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son, 
made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that  were- 
under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons, — Gal.  iv.  4. 

[1806.] 

After  the  planting  of  the  Church  in  Galatia,  certain 
judaizing  teachers  crept  in,  and  introduced  a  sad  mix- 
ture of  doctrine,  which  was,  properly  speaking,  neither 
Law  nor  Gospel.  This  was  the  ground  of  St.  Paul's 
controversy  with  the  Galatians ;  wherein  he  labors  to 
instruct  them  concerning  the  nature  of  the  old  and  new 
dispensation.  He  says,  verse  3,  *'Even  so  we,  when 
we  were  children,  were  in  bondage  under  the  elements 
of  the  world :  but  when  the  fulness  of  the  time  was 
come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made 
under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that  were  under  the 
law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 

This  passage  points  out  the  peculiar  scheme  of 
redemption, 

I.  As  IT  RESPECTS  GoD. 
II.  As  IT  RESPECTS  US. 

I.  As  IT  RESPECTS  GoD  I  Chnst  came  in  the  fulness 
of  the  time  before  appointed  of  God.  This  event  was 
decreed  and  foretold  to  our  first  parents  at  the  fall.  It 
was  declared  by  the  prophets;  and  at  length,  the  exact 
time  was  pointed  out  by  Daniel  the  prophet.  There- 
fore, says  the  Apostle,  "  When  the  fulness  of  the  time 
was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son."  It  was  the  testi- 
mony of  even  heathen  writers,  that  at  this  time  a  greftt 
personage  was  to  be  expected. 

An  extraordinary  scene  was  now   about   to  com- 


THE  INCARNATION  OF  CHRIST.  157 

mence :  a  period  in  which  mercy  was  to  be  signally 
displayed.  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  his  eternally  pre- 
existing Son.  "  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God." 
But  God  also  promised  that  he  should  be  "  made  of  a 
woman,"  "  manifested  in  the  flesh,"  or  in  the  likeness 
of  sinful  flesh — in  that  very  nature  that  had  sinned,  and 
which  he  was  to  redeem ;  or  else,  how  had  the  promise 
in  paradise  been  fulfilled  ?  "  Made  under  the  law :" 
that  is,  under  the  curse,  sentence,  and  penalty  of  the 
law ;  that  he  might  be  a  surety  or  bondsman  for  us. 

Many  do  not  consider  this  :  that  in  God's  making  his 
Son  to  become  subject  to  the  curse  and  fulfihnent  of 
the  law,  he  came  to  answer  all  its  demands,  and  "  to  fulfil 
all  righteousness  ;"  to  deliver  us  from  the  condemnation 
of  it:  so  that  it  is  now  only  a  "schoolmaster  to  bring 
us  to  Christ."  In  man's  exigency,  as  a  condemned 
sinner,  what  could  a  moral  philosopher  have  done,  with 
his  highest  proposals  ?  What  could  a  judaizing  teacher 
have  done,  with  his  "  days  and  months  and  times  and 
years  ?"  What  could  any  one  have  done  in  this  great 
affair  of  man,  but  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Mediator  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant ;  our 
Elder  Brother,  the  chief  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  ?  with 
whom,  if  we  indeed  be  children  of  God,  we  are  fellow- 
heirs.  Here  the  purpose  of  God  is  set  forth,  that  he 
might  show  the  riches  of  his  grace.  Here,  in  the  ful- 
ness of  the  time,  we  see  the  pifl^pose  and  end,  eternal  life ; 
*'  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons."  "  Now 
he  who  hath  wrought  us  for  the  self-same  thing  is  God, 
who  also  hath  given  us  the  earnest  of  his  Spirit." 

What  an  amazing  scheme  !  What  a  wonder  of  love 
and  grace  !  What  are  the  puny  projects  of  men,  sup- 
posing they  succeed  in  them  ?  What  are  the  highest 
schemes  of  the  philosopher,  or  the  politician,  compared 


158  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

with  this?  God  sent  forth  his  Son:  he  said,  **A11 
things  are  ready,  come  unto  the  marriage."  *'  Without 
controversy,  great  is  the  mystery  of  godhness :  God 
was  manifest  in  the  flesh."    1  Tim.  iii.  16. 

II.  The  peculiar  scheme  of  redemption,  as  it  re- 
spects us :  or,  the  benefits  which  are  offered  for  our 
reception  and  enjoyment,  as  specified  in  the  text, 
"  That  we  should  receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 

For  "  verily  he  took  not  on  him,"  or  as  the  Greek 
reads,  he  took  not  hold  of,  "  the  nature  of  angels,  but  he 
took  hold  of  the  seed  of  Abraham."  He  suffered  angels 
to  fall,  and  to  continue  in  the  misery  they  had  brought 
upon  themselves :  but  he  pitied  man  in  his  fall ;  and  he 
offers  this  day  to  take  hold  of  us,  and  to  adopt  us  into 
his  family,  that  we  may  receive  the  adoption  of  sons. 
The  allusion  is  to  an  ancient  custom  among  the  Ro- 
mans, which  was  the  taking  up  a  poor  child,  or  even 
beggar,  adopting  him  into  a  family  of  distinction,  and 
placing  him  in  all  respects  on  the  footing  of  a  son  and 
heir. 

This  may  illustrate  the  grace  of  God,  in  his  adoption 
of  us  to  the  privileges  of  sons.  Adoption  is  more  than 
pardon.  A  man  may  forgive  a  servant  who  has  com- 
mitted a  fault,  and  be  entirely  reconciled  to  him,  with- 
out putting  him  upon  a  level  with  his  son. 

Adoption  is  more  than  being  justified,  or  acquitted : 
a  judge  may  justify  and  acquit  the  prisoner  at  the  bar, 
and  yet  not  take  him  into  his  family. 

Adoption  is  more  than  to  be  redeemed :  a  man  may 
pay  the  ransom  of  a  slave  whom  he  sees  under  the 
scourge  of  the  oppressor,  and  say.  You  are  at  liberty  ! 
and  yet  show  him  no  further  kindness. 

To  be  adopted,  is  to  be  placed  in  a  state  superior  to 
that  which  Adam  lost  when  innocent  in  the  garden : 


THE    INCARNATION    OF    CHRIST.  159 

yea,  it  is  more  than  angels  now  are  ;  they  are  "  minis- 
tering spirits" — high  in  office  and  dignity,  "sent  forth 
to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation :" 
but  they  are  never  mentioned  as  pardoned,  or  re- 
deemed, by  the  Prince  of  Heaven,  much  less  adopted 
as  sons. 

Adoption  is  taking  man,  who  was  a  rebel,  and  con- 
verting that  very  rebel,  and  making  him  a  priest  and  a 
king  unto  God  forever!  It  gives  him  not  only  the 
right  and  title  of  citizenship,  but  entitles  him  to  the 
privileges  of  a  son.  "Because  ye  are  sons,  God  hath 
sent  forth  the  spirit  of  his  Son  into  your  hearts,  crying, 
Abba,  Father  :"  i.  e.  the  spirit  of  adoption  ;  he  has  given 
you  a  heavenly  taste  and  enjoyment — a  princely  spirit 
— a  large  mind — a  kingly  mind.  But  further  still,  he 
has  given  a  filial  mind.  "  Wherefore,  thou  art  no  more 
a  servant,  but  a  son ;  and  if  a  son,  then  an  heir  of  God 
through  Christ,"  verse  7.  Or,  as  the  Apostle  says,  in 
the  eighth  chapter  to  the  Romans,  "  If  children,  then 
heirs  ;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ."  "For 
ye  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to 
fear ;  but  ye  have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption, 
whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father." 

Man  has  fallen  so  very  low,  that  a  few  beggarly 
elements  will  suffice  him.  Whereas,  God  has  proposed 
far  more  elevated  prospects  to  him.  I  suppose  this 
was  the  argument  in  St.  Paul's  controversy  with  the 
Galatian  Church :  "  Why  turn  ye  again  to  the  weak 
and  beggarly  elements,  whereunto  ye  desire  again  to 
be  in  bondage  V     You  have  too  low  ideas. 

Words  are  too  poor  to  convey  what  is  meant  by  the 
expression,  "  the  adoption  of  sons."  It  hath  not  en- 
tered into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  what  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  It  is  astonishing 
how  low  the  ideas  of  even  real  Christians  are  as  to  the 


160  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

great  things  of  salvation.  They  seem  to  have  no  con- 
ception of  the  subHmity  and  dignity  of  their  relation 
to  God  :  of  the  value  of  their  inheritance,  and  of  the 
greatness  of  their  privileges. 

What  remains,  but  that  we  should  bring  this  doctrine 
of  the  incarnation  of  Christ  home  to  our  own  hearts?. 
For,  unless  it  enters  further  than  the  understanding 
only,  it  is  a  mere  speculation  ;  and  will  do  no  more 
good  than  the  knowledge  of  any  other  science.  If  it 
only  amounts  to  talk,  we  cannot  give  a  better  name  to 
it  than  religious  cant !  Let  us  receive  it  as  it  is,  the 
"  one  thing  needful,"  the  "  better  part,"  or  the  soul  will 
receive  no  benefit.  It  was  said  of  some  of  old,  "  This 
people  draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth,  and 
honoreth  me  with  their  lips  ;  but  their  heart  is  far  from 
me."  I  contend  for  reality,  that  shall  end  in  eternal 
salvation.  For  what  was  the  treasure  hid  in  the  field  ? 
Not  for  men  to  talk  about,  but  dig  for  it.  My  desire 
for  you,  my  dear  hearers,  is  that  you  should  have  more 
than  the  form  of  religion — more  than  a  mere  Galatian 
mistake ;  it  is  my  earnest  desire  and  prayer  that  you 
should  have  the  adoption  of  children ;  that  you  should 
earnestl}^  seek  it  of  God,  and  continue  praying  for  it 
until  you  have  it.  None  of  us  think  rightly  or  suffi- 
ciently of  its  importance.  You  that  are  real  believers, 
read  this  text  again  :  "God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of 
a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that 
were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption 
of  sons."  Now  receive  it  as  a  privilege,  and  as  God's 
free  gift.  What  a  privilege  and  liberty  that  w^e  should 
receive  this  adoption!  In  all  those  who  are  brought 
into  this  high  and  heavenly  relation,  there  will  be  found 
feelings  and  dispositions  of  mind  suited  to  it :  there  will 
be  the  spirit  of  adoption ;  a  filial  mind,  a  taste  for  the 
dignity  conferred.     God  not  only  gives  tha  pi'ivileges 


THE    INCARNATION    OF    CHRIST.  161 

of  children,  but  the  spirit  of  children,  and  enables  them 
to  call  him  Father. 

Again,  what  a  ground  is  this  for  a  minister  to  come 
forth  and  preach  the  Gospel !  A  minister  of  God 
should  not  so  much  denounce  the  terrors  of  the  law, 
as  he  should  point  out  the  love  and  mercy  of  the 
Gospel,  through  a  crucified  Saviour.  This  is  what 
subdues  the  enmity  of  a  sinner's  heart  against  God  ; 
while  the  constantly  denouncing  the  terrors  of  the  law 
only  nourishes  that  enmity. 

What  a  ground  of  encouragement  is  here  for  parents 
to  teach  their  children  the  way  to  heaven,  and  to  bring 
them  early  to  the  ordinances  of  grace,  and  plant  them 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord !  How  should  children  seek 
to  become  members  of  Christ's  Church,  and  seek  to  join 
themselves  to  the  Lord  in  an  everlasting  covenant ! 
How  may  servants  rejoice  in  the  privilege  of  becoming 
servants  to  Christ,  and  being  made  the  Lord's  freemen  ! 

Finally,  What  ground  is  here  laid  for  a  Christian's 
entire  reliance  on  his  God  !  and  that  under  every  fear, 
loss,  bereavement,  temptation,  the  world's  scorn  or 
hatred  !  What  a  ground  has  he  for  reliance  and  confi- 
dence under  every  fear  and  distress !  "  If  God  be  for 
us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?" 

What !  may  a  Christian  say.  Is  all  this  true  ?  Par- 
doned !  redeemed!  justified!  adopted!  made  an  heir! 
Then,  "  Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me  ;  thy 
rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me."  "  Forasmuch  then 
as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also 
himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same ;  that  through 
death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power  of 
death,  that  is,  the  devil ;  and  deliver  them  who  through 
fear  of  death  were  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage." 
Heb.  ii.  14,  15. 


162  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


THE  TEMPTATION  OF  CHRIST. 

Then  was  Jesus  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness,  to  be  tempted 
of  the  devil,  &c.— Matt.  iv.  1—10.  [1798.] 

Man's  days  are  few,  and  full  of  sorrow ;  yet,  upon 
these  short  and  sorrowful  days  depends  our  eternal 
happiness  or  misery.  It  behoves  us,  therefore,  to  make 
the  most  of  every  moment.  This  is  more  especially 
necessary  because,  if  we  are  idle,  our  adversary  is  not 
so,  but  as  a  roaring  lion  goeth  about  seeking  whom  he 
mav  devour. 

The  enemy  lays  those  temptations  in  our  way  which 
are  most  suited  to  our  situation,  state  of  mind,  and  cir- 
cumstances. Thus  he  went  to  our  Lord.  The  sea- 
sons for  Satan's  attacks  are  the  times  of  distress,  when 
the  heart  is  softened  and  less  able  to  make  resistance ; 
when  it  is  more  inclined  to  listen  to  the  tempter  ;  and 
when  the  Christian  is  more  apt  to  doubt  of  his  relation- 
ship to  Christ :  hence  hard  thoughts  of  God  are  apt  to 
creep  in.  We  learn  from  Christ's  being  tempted,  that 
temptation  is  common  to  human  nature,  and  not  an 
evil  in  itself  The  highest  favors  do  not  exempt  us 
from  temptation.  God  has  prepared  us  for  spiritual 
assaults  :  "  Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and  brass ;"  and 
*'  as  thy  day  is  so  shall  thy  strength  be." 

Temptation  is  also  peculiar  to  high  employments. 
The  devil  puts  our  Lord  first  upon  questioning  his 
Sonship,  ver.  3,  "  If  thbu  be  the  Son  of  God  ;"and  then 
upon  proving  it ;  "  Command  that  these  stones  be  made 
bread."  No  wonder  that  he  often  puts  the  Christian 
upon  doubting  his  relation  to  Christ :  and  if  he  can 
get  us  to  parley  with  him,  he  will  soon  be  putting  us 


THE    TEMPTATION    OF    CHRIST.  163 

upon  needless  proof.  Take  heed  that  Satan  does  not 
put  you  upon  any  unwarantable  or  unnecessary  proofs 
whereby  to  try  your  state. 

Our  Lord  had  fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights,  and 
"  was  afterward  an  hungred."  The  most  suitable  temp- 
tation therefore  was,  ''  Command  that  these  stones  be 
made  bread."  Beware  of  the  first  approaches  of  temp- 
tation, especially  in  times  of  trial  and  distress.  How- 
ever easy  the  method  proposed  may  appear,  or  how- 
ever pleasing  the  bait,  let  us  take  care  that  we  stand  on 
Scripture  foundation. 

To  the  man  in  poverty,  Satan  suggests  a  thousand 
schemes  of  getting  money  which  would  be  easier  than 
honest  industry,  and  patient  waiting  upon  God  :  the 
gaming  table  ;  the  lottery,  &c.  No  calamity  should 
lead  us  to  seek  relief  out  of  the  path  of  duty.  God  is 
all-sufficient  in  times  of  adversity  as  well  as  in  times 
of  prosperity.  The  only  antidote  for  the  devices  of 
the  enemy  on  all  occasions  is,  "  It  is  written."  This 
should  teach  us  the  absolute  necessity  and  advantage 
of  being  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  Scriptures. 
We  must  take  a  scriptural  view  of  God's  power  to  help 
in  every  time  of  need,  not  an  enthusiastic  view,  expect- 
ing some  miraculous  evidences.  God  is  a  God  of 
order  :  a  God  of  means. 

Ver.  4.  "  But  he  answered  and  said,  It  is  written." 
The  same  answer  must  be  urged  to  every  temptation : 
our  immediate  reply  must  be,  like  our  great  Master, 
''  It  is  written."  Our  Lord  refers  to  Deut.  viii.  3, 
"  Man  doth  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word 
that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God  doth  man 
live."  Bread  is  the  staff  of  life  :  it  nourishes  our  natu- 
ral bodies :  but  it  only  nourishes  as  it  is  accompanied 
by  the  Divine  blessing.  It  is  less  the  bread,  than  the 
Giver  of  the  bread  who  supports  us  ;  therefore  when- 


164  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

ever  we  eat,  we  should  look  for  a  blessing  on  our  food. 
This  duty  is  most  disgracefully  neglected  in  these  days 
of  degeneracy  and  impiety  ;  and  even  when  it  is  not 
wholly  neglected,  the  Divine  blessing  is  implored  in  so 
careless  a  manner,  as  looks  more  like  an  insult  on  the 
Deity  than  an  act  of  reverence. 

But  man  has  not  only  a  natural  body,  he  has  also  a 
rational  soul, — and  for  this  God  has  made  provision  : 
Prov.  ix.  1-6, — 1  Tim.  iv.  8, — John  iv.  35.  "  I  am  the 
bread  of  life."  One  who  is  on  a  sick  and  dying  bed 
knows  the  value  of  this  "  bread  of  life."  The  word  of 
God  when  it  comes  home  with  power  to  a  man's  heart, 
will  lay  a  foundation  for  his  delight  throughout  eternity. 
Let  us  learn,  from  our  Lord,  to  use  this  word  as  a  check 
to  every  temptation.  One  of  the  worst  features  in  the 
Romish  Church  is,  that  they  hide  the  key  of  knowledge. 
Should  any  one  try  to  persuade  you  that  the  Bible  is 
above  your  comprehension,  and  that  it  was  only  de- 
signed for  the  learned,  believe  it  not.  Examine,  and 
read  the  word  of  God  for  yourself:  it  is  most  emphati- 
callv  "  the  book  of  knowledo;e  :"  all  other  writings  in 
comparison  are  nothing.  vSearch  the  Scriptures  :  pray 
over  them  :  take  them  for  your  ]*ule. 

Ver.  5.  "  Then  the  devil  taketh  him  up  into  the 
holy  city,  and  setteth  him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the 
Temple."  Satan  will  be  busy,  even  in  the  holy  city — 
even  in  the  Temple.  The  pinnacle  is  the  most  dan- 
gerous place ;  for  the  greater  the  height,  the  greater 
is  the  believer's  call  for  watchfulness,  because  the 
greater  would  be  his  fall.  Beware  of  a  desire  to 
climb.  A  young  Christian  is  very  desirous  of  a  high 
station,  and  wants  to  be  mounting  :  but,  take  heed, 
that,  in  climbing,  Satan  does  not  give  you  a  lift.  He 
is  perhaps  as  desirous  of  your  reaching  the  pinnacle  as 
you  are  yourself,  in  order  that  he  may  cast, you  down. 


THE    TEMPTATION    OF    CHRIST.  165 

We  can  bear  very  little  exaltation  in  our  present  cor- 
rupt state  :  the  head  is  never  more  apt  to  turn  giddy, 
than  when  we  are  raised  on  a  pinnacle.  Let  it  be  your 
request  to  be  kept  on  humble  ground. 

Ver.  6,  7.  "  Cast  thyself  down,"  &c.— Had  Satan 
been  able  to  cast  down  our  blessed  Saviour,  he  had 
been  only  the  sufferer  ;  for  we  are  expressly  told,  "  the 
Prince  of  this  world  cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  me." 
If  Satan  can  prevail  on  the  believer  to  coincide  with 
the  temptation,  he  succeeds  in  his  malice ;  but  if  we 
resist,  we  are  safe ;  for  resisted  temptations  are  rather 
afflictions  than  sins  :  these  will  not  separate  from  com- 
munion with  Christ ;  for  he  sympathizes  with  the 
tempted. 

"  He  shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning  thee : 
and  in  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up,  lest  at  any 
time  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone."  Satan  will 
often  put  the  greatest  truths  into  the  mouths  of  his 
emissaries,  to  pervert  truth.  He  would  have  Scrip- 
tures quoted  partially  :  he  here  quotes  a  passage  from 
the  91st  Psalm,  but  perverts  the  sense:  "Cast  thyself 
down,"  at  any  rate,  "  for  he  shall  give  his  angels  charge 
concerning  thee."  Take  great  heed  when  Scripture  is 
quoted  by  the  mouth  of  bad  men.  It  is  no  better  than 
the  worst  blasphemy  :  yet  .do  not  esteem  the  Scripture 
is  less  on  that  account :  the  antidote  to  this  poison  is 
"  the  sword  of  the  Spirit."  Christ  says,  "  It  is  written 
again." 

Ver.  8.  "  Again  the  devil  taketh  him  up  into  an  ex- 
ceeding high  mountain,"  &c.  Mark  here  the  suc- 
cession of  Satan's  attacks.  The  wilderness  had  not 
succeeded,  nor  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple ;  but  this 
mountain  produced  the  most  enchanting  prospects,  the 
most  extensive  view.  There  was  also  a  craft  added, 
to  show  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the  glory  of 


166  »  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

them.  Satan,  in  his  temptations,  points  at  objects  in 
their  fairest  aspect  ;  spreads  every  thing  Hkely  to 
dazzle ;  and  conceals  every  thing  likely  to  counteract. 
You  see  the  flower ;  but  where  are  the  thorns — the 
punishments?  where  are  the  shades  of  the  picture? 
Ah  !  it  is  by  hiding  the  remorse,  the  aching  heart,  that 
he  succeeds !  It  is  his  art  to  present  temptation  through 
the  eye — the  ear — by  the  medium  of  the  senses  ;  it  is 
by  "  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eye,"  that 
the  heart  is  drawn  aside  from  God.  Who  can  walk 
along  his  journey  for  one  week,  and  not  know  this  ? 
These  scenes  follow  us  to  the  closet,  and  distract  our 
devotion. 

Satan,  in  his  temptations,  employs  a  hurry  and  rapid- 
ity ;  he  presents  a  rapid  view ;  he  will  not  leave  time 
for  the  principles  to  be  called  up,  but  takes  us  off"  our 
guard.  St.  Luke  says,  "  He  shewed  unto  him  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  in  a  moment  of  time."  Earthly 
things  will  not  bear  inspection.  Let  us  learn  to  esteem 
all  worldly  things  at  a  low  rate,  and  to  withdraw  from 
them.  Let  us  contrast  the  pageantry  and  the  cheat  of 
the  world,  with  eternal  realities  ;  till  we  become  im- 
pressed, and,  hke  the  Apostle,  glory  only  in  the  cross 
of  Christ. 

Ver.  9.  Observe  the  proff*er  of  the  Enemy,  "  All 
these  will  I  give  thee."  Mark  the  proud  assumption 
of  sovereign  power  over  the  kingdoms  of  the  world, 
which  he  did  not  possess  !  Man's  pride  is  not  to  be 
compared  to  Satan's.  And  then  the  deceitful  promise 
— •'  I  will  give  thee."  Mark  also  the  force  of  the  temp- 
tation, implied  in  the  idea — You  are  left  abandoned : 
It  was  indeed  promised  that  the  heathen  should  be 
given  thee  for  an  inheritance :  but  you  are  now  de- 
serted of  God.  I  will  give  thee  these  kingdoms.  Hor- 
rid blasphemy!    arrogant  assumption!    ab§urd  preten- 


THE    TEMPTATION    OF    CHRIST.  167 

sion !  to  suppose  that  the  supreme  Governor  had  given 
up  to  Satan  his  own  prerogative  !  Learn  hence  that 
the  glory  and  powder  of  the  world  seemed  to  be  given 
up  to  Satan,  in  order  to  teach  us  how  low  an  estimate 
we  should  make  of  them.  Luther  said,  "The  whole 
empire  w^as  but  as  a  crust  to  throw  to  a  dog."  If  God 
allows  his  enemy  to  go  up  and  down  in  the  world,  how 
deep  should  be  our  suspicion  of  the  world  !  Satan 
does  seem  to  govern ;  for  all  that  God  bestows  on  us, 
whether  riches  or  honors,  he  poisons,  perverts,  and  en- 
deavors to  make  use  of  to  seduce  us.  He  is  called  in 
Scripture,  "  the  god  of  this  world."  "  The  prince  of 
the  power  of  the  air."  Satan's  devices  may  be  known 
by  the  nature  of  his  promises :  God's  design  is  to  fit  us 
for  the  other  w^orld  ;  Satan  offers  this.  He  says  to  the 
"worlding — to  the  merchant — Ah !  you  are  not  happy 
now !  but  look  onward,  "  I  wall  give  thee."  To  the 
scholar  he  says,  Look  on  to  fame,  to  reputation !  He 
is  for  enlisting  man  in  his  own  service,  and  for  making 
him  an  idolater;  thus  transferring  the  heart  from  God 
to  himself.  The  proaiises  of  Satan  are  always  future  : 
he  solicits  to  future  repose  on  earth — future  glory  in 
the  world.  But  his  promises  are  uniformly  more  than 
he  can  perform.  Can  any  deluded  creature  say  that 
Satan  has  performed  his  promise  ?  He  never  can  per- 
form his  promise :  he  is  a  liar :  his  object  is  to  flatter 
that  he  may  destroy  :  his  design  is  to  conceal  the  hook, 
while  he  offers  the  bait.  But  supposing  he  could,  and 
would  perform  all — how  little  is  that  all !  I  am  a  dying 
creature  :  I  must  hasten  to  judgment !  If  I  climb  the 
mountain,  I  must  descend  again  every  step  I  have  at- 
tained— less  prepared  for  judgment  than  before  : — then 
what  is  all  this  worth  ?  What  does  it  do  ?  Does  it 
include  pardon  ?  Does  it  calm  my  passions  ?  No ;  it 
cherishes  them  ;  it  exchides  my  sight  of  the  cross.     If 


168  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

I  yield  to  one  temptation,  my  feelings  are  gone ;  my 
spiritual  view  cannot  be  recovered  ;  my  heart  is  left 
wretched  ;  ''  the  salt  has  lost  its  savor/'  If  a  man  feels 
the  pressure  of  the  world  when  struggling  against  its 
stream,  how  shall  the  temptation  be  resisted  if  his  mind 
be  wholly  occupied  with  it  ? 

Learn  to  bring  Satan's  promises  to  the  word  of 
God,  that  you  may  see  their  fallacy.  Where  does  the 
Bible  promise  riches,  glory,  ease  in  this  world  to  a 
Christian  ?  No !  the  Scriptures  lead  to  the  cross  of 
the  Saviour.  The  present  season  of  tranquiUity  is 
dangerous  to  the  Church.  Satan  spreads  a  picture 
before  the  eyes  of  youth :  the  parent  has  been  engrossed 
with  the  world ;  and  the  child  learns  to  talk  highly  of 
distinction  and  wealth.  We  are  called  at  this  time  to 
peculiar  caution.  What  is  it  that  carries  away  the 
seed  sown  in  the  heart  of  the  young  ? — the  world  ! 
What  cools  their  growing  piety  1 — the  world  !  The 
marks  and  boundaries  between  the  Church  and  the 
w^orld  are  almost  effaced  :  men  are  "  lovers  of  pleasures 
more  than  lovers  of  God :"  the  temptations  of  the 
world  are  peculiarly  destructive  of  the  life  of  God  in 
the  soul. 

Ver.  10.  "  If  thou  wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me." — 
Satan  will  use  his  utmost  skill  to  beguile  and  allure ; 
but  if  he  cannot  do  this,  he  will  sometimes  seem  to 
stride  across  the  path,  and  dispute  the  road  with  us ; — 
he  will  inject  blasphemous  thoughts.  The  darkest 
temptations  of  Satan  are  sometimes  introduced,  as  it 
were,  incidentally :  only  "  fall  down  and  worship  me" 
— a  momentary  homage,  implying  no  consequences. 
So  he  says  to  us,  "  Just  do  this ;"  "  Only  do  that ;"  "Is 
it  not  a  little  one?"  Will  not  a  httle  gap  open  the 
flood-gates?  Under  this  plausible  language  lurks  a 
homage  to  Satan.     There  will  be  a  double  force,  if 


THE    TEMPTATION    OF    CHRIST.  169 

the  temptation  be  in  a  time  of  prosperity,  when  the 
heart  is  fascinated  with  the  world's  glory  and  glitter. 
But  whatever  disguise  vSatan  employs  in  the  early  be- 
ginning, he  generally  shows  himself  before  the  tempta- 
tion is  over.  His  design  is  the  honoring  himself,  and 
the  dishonoring  God  :  to  transfer  the  heart  from  God 
to  the  creature.  He  knows  that  if  we  will  but  allow  a 
conjunction  between  the  two,  he  has  gained  his  point : 
his  device  is  to  divorce  the  heart  from  God,  and  to  keep 
up  the  separation.  The  smallest  of  Satan's  tempta- 
tions is  made  with  the  dark  hope  of  obtaining  further 
concessions  ;  his  design  with  our  first  parents  was  to 
draw  them  from  their  allegiance  to  God,  and  make 
them  believe  his  lies,  which  was  in  fact  saying — Let 
me  share  the  homage  which  a  jealous  God  claims  as 
his  prerogative.  Do  you  ask,  What  harm  is  there  in 
this  or  that  ?  Inquire  what  are  its  effects  ?  does  it 
draw  your  heart  from  God,  and  unfit  it  for  prayer? 
That  is  harm  enough. 

In  order  to  resist  successfully,  we  must  take  every 
step  looking  for  grace  and  help ;  and  renouncing  all 
self-dependence,  say  only,  "  Get  thee  hence,  Satan  !" 
Our  Saviour  does  not  appear  the  less  abhorrent  of  this 
temptation  because  of  the  fascinating  scene  in  which  it 
was  presented.  He  does  not  even  condescend  to  notice 
the  glory  of  the  world  presented  to  him :  he  still  wields 
the  authority  of  Scripture,  an  authority  more  high, 
more  conclusive,  and  more  mighty  than  any  argument. 
With  the  spontaneous  energy  of  a  holy  mind,  he  resists 
the  temptation:  "Get  thee  hence:  for  it  is  written, 
Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only 
shalt  thou  serve,"  ver.  10.  Our  Lord  here  introduces 
the  lawful  sovereign :  he  does  not  argue  as  a  philoso- 
pher, but  says,  "  It  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the 
Lord  thy  God  ;" — not  a  traitor.     The  service  of  God 

8 


170  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

lies  in  the  relation  we  stand  in  to  God.  Deut.  ii.  13 — 
X.  20;  Joshua  xxiv.  14 — 18.  In  order  to  resist  temp- 
tation, we  should  be  well  grounded  in  our  supreme  duty 
to  God.  Man  was  made  to  honor  God  :  he  is  the  priest 
of  the  creatures,  made  capable  of  loving  and  serving 
God.  In  the  fall,  the  very  essence  of  the  transgres- 
sion, as  well  as  the  misery  of  man,  was  the  turning 
from  God  to  set  up  his  own  will,  and  to  do  his  own 
pleasure.  In  redemption,  God  again  ascends  the 
throne  of  the  heart. 

Let  the  young  Christian  prepare  for  temptation ;  for 
it  will  assuredly  come.  Watch,  therefore,  and  pray. 
Do  not,  with  our  first  parents,  parley  with  temptation : 
it  is  our  duty  not  to  listen  to  Satan's  proposals — not  to 
argue,  or  debate,  or  hesitate :  safety  lies  in  flight :  like 
the  Saviour,  we  should  resist  his  suggestions  with  ab- 
horrence. In  faithfully  resisting,  you  have  a  right  to 
ten  thousand  promises.  The  Christian  does  not  attempt 
to  resist  temptation  in  his  own  strength.  His  watch- 
fulness lies  in  observing  its  approach,  and  telling  God 
of  it  by  prayer.  Like  a  sentinel,  who  gives  notice  of 
the  approach  of  danger  to  the  commanding  officer,  let 
us  watch  against  the  occasions  of  sin.  An  occasion 
exactly  fitted,  is  more  than  half  a  temptation.  It  is 
Satan's  cunning  to  draw  a  man  within  the  reach  of  an 
occasion.  Gilpin  says,  "  Satan  succeeds  more,  in  his 
evil  designs,  through  subtlety  than  force."  The  latter 
stirs  up  an  opposition ;  it  alarms  to  caution.  Where 
force  should  but  gain  its  thousands,  subtlety  will  gain 
its  tens  of  thousands. 

Satan  inquires  into  a  man's  state,  whether  regen- 
erate or  not — into  his  constitution,  disposition,  place, 
calling,  age ;  and  his  next  care  is,  to  provide  suitable 
temptations.  He  retains  still  the  character  of  a  ser- 
pent, and  will  use  his  utmost  skill. 


THE    TEMPTATION    OF    CHRIST.  171 

There  are  not  only  common  times  of  danger,  but 
there  are  also  critical  times;  such  as  was  Peter's. 
Satan's  point,  at  air  times,  is  to  make  a  Christian  quit 
his  ground  and  his  place :  and  when  he  has  done  this, 
one  thing  more  remains  to  complete  his  plan ;  namely, 
to  get  the  'man  to  be  self-confident  and  headstrong. 

Beware  of  running  into  danger:  you  are  only  safe 
in  the  narrow  way.  Christ  was  led  up  of  the  Spirit, 
into  the  wilderness  :  He  had  a  special  call.  We  must 
take  heed  not  to  go  on  Satan's  ground  of  ourselves : 
but  if  we  are  suffered  to  be  brought  into  temptation, 
let  us  say  with  Jacob,  "  I  am  in  the  way  thou  biddest 
me  go."  However  crafty  and  violent  the  tempter,  he 
can  do  no  more  than  make  the  assault ;  but  he  cannot 
carry  his  point,  without  our  consent :  he  is  held  by  a 
chain.  Temptation  puts  nothing  in  the  mind,  but  only 
draws  out  the  evils  that  are  latent  in  our  hearts. 

Take  care  of  whatever  would  endanger  you ;  such 
as  had  company,  where  the  Enemy  lies  in  ambush ; — 
fear,  which  says,  "  There  is  a  lion  in  the  way ;" — 
unbelief,  which  cries,  "  You  will  not  hold  out ;" — sloth, 
which  complains,  "  There  is  too  much  required."  All 
these  are  Satan's  emissaries. 

Our  safest  way  is,  to  stand  prepared  for  the  attacks 
of  the  Enemy :  we  should  know  he  is  coming  on :  and 
we  should  consider  how  it  has  been  with  such  men  as 
David,  Peter,  and  others,  when  Satan  has  come  in  like 
a  flood.  We  cannot  be  too  cautious :  past  experience 
will  tell  us  what  weak  creatures  we  are  :-  a  secure  state 
is  itself  a  temptation.  Satan  never  more  succeeds, 
than  when  he  endeavors  to  persuade  men  he  has  no 
existence — that  there  is  no  "  I'oaring  lion  going  about 
seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  If  he  can  persuade 
men  to  be  at  ease,  he  is  almost  sure  of  his  prey.  One 
of  the  endeavors  of  an  able  general,  in  time  of  war,  is, 


172  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

to  make  the  enemy  believe  he  is  doing  nothing:  he 
would  surprise  the  town  unprepared. 

Lastly.  If  we  have  not  a  high  place,  let  us  seek  a 
hiding-place.  Satan  has  furnished  us  with  a  valuable 
piece  of  instruction  in  the  affairs  of  Job,  chap.  i. — that 
he  could  not  touch  him  without  God's  permission: 
"Hast  thou  not  made  a  hedge  about  him?"  Dreadful 
as  this  Enemy  is,  he  can  go  no  further  than  he  is  per- 
mitted :  therefore,  let  us  not  be  driven  from  our  post 
because  of  danger.  Christ  liveth ;  and  therefore  we 
shall  live  also.  Fear  not,  if  you  have  secured  a  friend 
in  him  that  is  mighty.  Put  each  day,  and  all  its  con- 
cerns, into  his  hand;  in  him  alone  yoii  are  secure.  He 
is  the  most  safe,  who  can  take  every  thing  to  Christ, 
and  say,  "Lord,  consider  my  danger!  Thou  knowest 
where  my  faith  will  fail."  The  greatest  advancement 
in  the  divine  life  is  that  perfect  confidence  in  God 
described  in  the  Canticles ,  "  I  sat  down  under  his 
shadow,  with  great  delight." 


CHRIST'S  LAST  PRAYER  FOR  HIS  DISCIPLES. 

O  righteous  Father,  the  world  hath  not  known  thee  :  but  I  have  known 
thee,  and  these  have  known  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  I  have  de- 
clared unto  them  thy  name,  and  will  declare  it :  that  the  love  where- 
with thou  hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them, — John 
xvii.  25,  -26.  [1804.] 

Critics  have  marked  in  this  chapter  what  may  be 
appropriate  to  the  particular  case  of  the  disciples,  and 
what  may  be  appropriate  to  the  Church  at  large.  But 
this  will  not  interfere  with  our  inquiry  ;  for  the  20th 
verse  clearly  shows,  and  proves,  that  the  bjessings  here 


Christ's  last  prayer  for  his  disciples.       173 

♦ 

spoken  of  belong  to  every  believer  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  Our  Lord  says,  "  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone, 
but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me  through 
their  word." 

* 

Having  premised  this,  let  us  consider  more  partic- 
ularly the  import  of  the  text.  Our  Lord  says,  ver.  11, 
"  And  now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  but  these  are 
in  the  world,  and  I  come  to  thee.  Holy  Father,  keep 
through  thine  own  name  those  whom  thou  hast  given 
me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are  :"  q.  d.  I  am 
now  speaking  of  the  covenant  blessings  which  thou 
hast  provided  in  me,  as  the  Head  :  ''  O  righteous  Father, 
the  world  hath  not  known  thee  :"  the  world  continue 
in  blindness  and  hardness  of  heart :  and  though  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  hath  arisen  with  healing  in  his 
wings,  yet  they  love  darkness,  rather  than  light :  but, 

0  righteous  Father,  "I  have  known  thee,  and  these 
have  known  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  I  have  de- 
clared unto  them  thy  name,  and  will  declare  it :"  i.  e. 

1  will  more  fully  declare  it,  on  my  ascension  ;  and,  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  whole  truth,  the  end  of  all 
the  dispensations,  shall  be  seen  to  be  this :  That  the 
love  w^herewith  thou  hast  loved  me  the  Head,  may  be 
communicated  to  them  the  members. — I  shall  proceed 
to  consider,  from  these  words, 

I.  The  blindness  in  the  minds  of  the  unregen- 

ERATE  world. 

II.  The  contrast  which  this  presents  to  the  il- 
lumination of  the  true  church. 

I.  The  blindness  of  the  unregenerate  world. 
*'  The  world  hath  not  known  thee.'*  Then  what  has 
the  world  known?  Not  known  God!  Not  known 
him  with  whom  it  has  to  do!  Not  known  its  Saviour 
— its  best  Friend !     What  then  does  it  know,  to  pur- 


174  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

• 

pose  ?  If  you  inquire  of  the  world,  it  will  not  only  tell 
you,  that  the  present  age  in  particular  is  the  most  illu- 
minated of  any ;  but  it  will  tell  you  of  its  wonderful 
discoveries  in  science,  its  great  knowledge  in  politics, 
its  progress  in  the  arts,  &c.  Some  will  profess  to  tell 
you  what  progress  religion  has  made  in  the  world  ;, 
and  they  will  go  on  to  say  more,  as  knowing  what 
progress  it  will  make :  the  world  is  so  illuminated — so 
comprehensive ! 

Now,  with  all  this  knowledge,  discovery,  and  instruc- 
tion, I  read  the  text :  "  O  righteous  Father,  the  world 
hath  not  known  thee  !"  Not  known  thee  !  and  yet  so 
wise  ?  With  all  its  little  discoveries,  cannot  it  discern 
the  things  belonging  to  its  peace  ?  Then,  it  is  but  tell- 
ing me  of  the  bustle  and  industry  of  ants — of  the  in- 
genuity and  politics  of  bees  !  All  this  is  trifling  to  him 
who  wants  a  shelter.  Moreover,  we  can  tell  them, 
that  even  the  heathen  excelled  in  these  acquirements  : 
and  yet,  what  is  said  of  the  heathen  ?  Ask  the  Bible, 
the  true  book  of  revelation ;  "  When  they  knew  God 
they  glorified  him  not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful ; 
but  became  vain  in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish 
heart  was  darkened,"  Rom.  i.  21.  It  is  plainly  declared 
that  man  by  nature  is  like  the  wild  ass's  colt,  till  the 
Holy  Spirit  shines  into  his  heart.  Let  us  consider  for 
ourselves.  If  we  give  full  evidence  that  we  know  not 
God  as  our  Father  and  our  Friend — if  we  know  not 
Jesus  Christ  whom  he  hath  sent,  and  are  not  united  to 
him  by  faith — what  is  all  our  knowledge  worth  ?  No 
one  is  more  pitiable  than  the  celebrated  wretch  who  is 
only  this  world's  votary ! 

But,  perhaps,  it  will  be  asked.  May  not  men  be 
guided  by  their  private  opinion  ?  Must  all  think  with 
the  preacher?  If  you  turn  to  the  ninth  chapter  of  the 
Prophet  Jeremiah,  you  will  find  there  is  but  one  opinion. 


Christ's  last  prayer  for  his  disciples.       175 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord" — not  the  preacher — but,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  Let  not  the  wise  man  glory  in  his 
wisdom,  neither  let  the  mighty  man  glory  in  his  might ; 
let  not  the  rich  man  glory  in  his  riches :  but  let  him 
that  glorieth  glory  in  this" — not  in  arts  and  sciences, 
and  progress  in  learning ;  but,  if  there  is  any  thing  to 
glory  in — "  let  him  that  glorieth  glory  in  this,  that  he 
understandeth  and  knoweth  me  P'  To  the  same  purpose 
are  the  words  of  our  Saviour :  "  This  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  may  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent." 

"  The  world  hath  not  known  thee  :'*  however  some 
may  have  been  brought  up  in  an  orthodox  creed,  and 
been  instructed  in  Christian  doctrines,  yet  if  they  have 
no  practical  knowledge,  no  saving  knowledge  of  the 
truths  they  hold, — if  they  do  not  know  that  the  Father 
sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world, — whatever 
they  may  know  besides,  they  know  nothing  to  purpose  ; 
they  are  spiritually  blind :  for  Christ  has  declared, 
"Every  one  that  hath  heard  and  learned  of  the  Father 
Cometh  unto  me."     Let  us  now, 

IL  Contrast  this  with  the  illumination  and 
privileges  of  the  true  church  :  "  These  have  known 
that  thou  hast  sent  me.'\ 

1st.  Consider  their  illumination.  It  is  a  mark  set 
on  the  elect,  that  they  have  "  heard  and  learned  of  the 
Father."  Whatever  minister  has  been  made  use  of, 
whatever  book  may  have  awakened  their  minds — God 
has  taught  them.  They  have  been  taught  to  honor  the 
Son  even  as  they  honor  the  Father.  "  These  have 
known  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  When  the  question 
was  asked, "  Whom  do  men  say  that  I  the  Son  of  Man 
am  ?"  the  heart  of  Peter  was  ready  to  answer,  "  Lord, 
to  whom  shall  we  go  ?     Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal 


176  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

life."  As  though  he  had  said,  Do  we  know  that  we 
ever  felt  the  life  and  warmth  of  the  sun  ? — that  we 
were  ever  nourished  by  food  ? — so,  in  this,  we  know  by 
the  benefit  derived :  we  know  that  thou  art  the  "  sent 
of  God."     "  These  have  known  that  thou  hast  sent  me." 

2nd.  Consider  thei?^  privileges  :  to  know  and  to  trust 
in  Christ  the  Lord,  is  a  special  privilege.  To  such  it 
is  said,  *'  Fear  not,  little  flock ;  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom."  "I  will  send  the 
Comforter,  and  he  shall  teach  you  all  things."  "All 
things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father,  I  have  made 
known  unto  you."  Now,  therefore,  consider  the  ex- 
pectation that  I  have  raised  :  "  I  have  declared,  and  I 
will  declare."  Nothing  shall  separate  my  disciples 
from  my  love  ;  though  I  am  going  away,  I  will  still  be 
their  Sun  and  Shield.  When  I  am  gone  from  them 
into  heaven,  I  will  speak  to  their  heart,  I  will  meet 
their  case  ;  and  when  they  go  through  the  valley  and 
shadow  of  death,  they  shall  fear  no  evil,  for  I  will  be 
with  them  :  I  will  intercede  for  them  as  their  great 
High  Priest.  I  will  pray  the  Father  that  the  love 
wherewith  he  has  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in 
them.  Christ  prays  for  his  people's  sanctification ; 
"Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth;"  ver.  17.  And 
he  prays,  ver.  24,  for  their  glorification :  "  That  they 
may  behold  my  glory."  He  pleads  in  a  way  of  demand ; 
q.  d.  I  have  paid  the  debt.  He  pleads  agreeably  to  the 
will  of  the  Father  :  "  Those  whom  thou  hast  given  me." 
Christ's  intercession  should  encourage  us  to  come 
boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

See  the  privileges  of  God's  people,  as  described  by 
St.  Paul,  in  the  fifth  chapter  to  the  Romans :  "  There- 
fore, being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  by  whom  also  we  have 
access  by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand,  and 


Christ's  last  prayer   for  his  disciples.       177 

rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God.  And  not  only  so, 
but  we  glory  in  tribulations  also,  knowing  that  tribula- 
tion worketh  patience,  and  patience  experience,  and 
experience  hope :  and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed ;" — 
not  ashamed  ! — why  so?  "Because  the  love  of  God 
is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
is  given  unto  us."  As  though  St.  Paul  should  say,  I 
cannot  lose  my  treasure — my  portion ;  for  Christ,  in 
his  last  prayer,  has  said,  "  that  the  love  wherewith  thou 
hast  loved  me,  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them."  Christ 
has  loved  his  people  with  "  an  everlasting  love."  "  Hav- 
ing loved  his  own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved 
them  unto  the  end." 

Again,  our  Saviour  speaks  of  the  privilege  of  union 
to  himself:  "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may 
be  made  perfect  in  one  ;  that  the  world  may  know  that 
thou  hast  sent  me,  and  hast  loved  them  as  thou  hast 
loved  me  ;"  ver.  23.  For  a  further  explanation  of  this, 
see  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  this  Gospel,  where  our 
Saviour  says,  "  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches : 
he  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth 
forth  much  fruit :  for  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

With  this  view  of  the  subject,  let  us  compare  the 
state  of  the  world  with  the  state  of  the  Church,  and 
you  will  then  see  what  it  is  to  be  of  the  world,  and 
what  it  is  to  be  of  the  Church.  I  call  your  mind  to 
the  fact — not  to  the  decision  of  a  blind  world,  but  to 
the  fact.  What  was  the  commission  given  to  St.  Paul  ? 
"I  send  thee  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from 
^  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God;"  Acts  xxvi.  17,  18.  They  will  not  indeed 
acknowledge  their  blindness;  they  will  boast  of  great 
discernment,  and  say,  "  We  see."  But  their  real  state 
is  thus  stated :  "  I  will  send  thee  to  open  their  eyes." 
Hence  we  may  learn  the  blindness  of  the  world,  as 

8* 


178  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

contrasted  with  the  illumination  and  privileges  of  the 
true  Church. 

Now,  if  these  two  states  exist,  and  if  every  man  be 
found  in  one  of  them,  surely  it  becomes  you  and  me  to 
ask  ourselves,  What  am  I  doing  ?  Some  one  may  say, 
"  I  cannot  think  I  have  this  illumination,  for  I  do  not  - 
know  any  thing  of  this  union,  and  of  the  mind  that  was 
in  Christ ;  I  am  going  on  just  as  the  rest  of  the  world 
do."  But  I  would  ask,  then,  another  question:  Do 
you  propose  to  go  on  living  and  dying  in  such  a  state  ? 
Do  you  not  see,  if  you  have  read  through  this  chapter, 
that  there  is  marked  in  it  a  clear  distinction  of  charac- 
ter? insomuch  that  our  Lord  says  in  one  part  of  his 
prayer,  "  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for  them  which 
thou  hast  given  me  :"  q.  d.  These  are  my  sheep ;  they 
are  preparing  for  glory,  and  glory  is  preparing  for 
them.  Should  you  say,  "  If  this  is  the  case,  I  must  be 
one  of  them  for  whom  Christ  does  not  pray."  Your 
present  state  and  character  may  naturally  lead  you  to 
this  conclusion ;  but,  should  a  man  acquiesce  in  this  ? 
If  he  suspects  this,  and  consequently  fears  to  die,  should 
he  not  begin  to  work  out  his  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling  ?  Does  not  Christ  say,  "  Ye  will  not,"  not, 
ye  cannot  "  come  unto  me  that  ye  might  have  life  ?'* 
Conscience  tells  you  there  is  no  excuse  ;  for  God  warns 
before  he  summons  to  judgment. 

But  there  is  another  class  of  persons  whose  language 
would  be  this :  "  I  see  the  vast  importance  of  the  subject ; 
but,  in  fact,  I  am  endeavoring  to  blend  the  world  and 
religion  together ;  to  mix  and  make  both  compatible  : 
so  that  one  day  I  seem  to  be  following  the  world,  and 
another  to  be  of  the  Church.  I  would  endeavor  to  * 
have  both."  .But  have  you  never  read,  "  No  man  can 
serve  two  masters :  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one  and 
love   the  other,  or  else  he  will  hold  to  tho'  one,  and 


Christ's  last  praveii  for  his  disciples.     179 

despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mam- 
mon :"  i.  e.  ye  cannot  be  in  the  spirit  of  the  world  and 
in  the  spirit  of  the  Church.  The  hot  and  cold  strive 
to  mingle  opposite  sentiments  that  are  totally  incom- 
patible. Often  have  I  seen  a  man  on  his  dying  bed 
bemoaning  his  attempt  to  do  this !  You  must,  indeed, 
perform  the  duties  of  your  family  and  station,  and  be 
courteous  to  all ;  but,  as  to  entering  into  the  spirit  of 
the  world,  and  yet  thinking  to  belong  to  the  true 
Church,  Christ  says  it  cannot  be  done  !  "  If  any  man 
will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up  his 
cross,  and  follow  me."  What  cross  do  you  take  up? 
What  confession  have  you  to  make  before  men  ?  It 
is  evident  that  if  a  man  is  trying  to  blend  things  that 
are  incompatible,  he  knows  not  God.  "Be  not  de- 
ceived; God  is  not  mocked:  for  whatsoever  a  man 
soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."  What  says  the 
Apostle?  "God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in 
the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  but  does  he  stop 
there  ? — "  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me, 
and  I  unto  the  world."  If  you  say,  "  This  is  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  most  assuredly  it  is,  but  what 
follows  from  this  ?  That  we  are  called  to  pray  for  his 
influences. 

What  an  unspeakable  privilege  does  the  text  afford 
to  a  true  believer  !  Christ  prays  "  that  the  love  where- 
with thou  hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in 
them."  Therefore,  if  we  are  one  with  Christ  and  the 
Father,  though  the  world  knoweth  us  not,  even  as  it 
knew  him  not,  yet  God  has  given  us  to  know  him,  if 
he  has  declared  his  name  unto  us,  not  only  outwardly 
in  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  but  inwardly  and  prac- 
tically. Then  being  united  to  Christ  as  living  branches 
in  the  true  Vine,  we  shall  be  bringing  forth  those  fruits 
of  faith  which  are  through  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  glory 


180  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  praise  of  God.  It  is  this  union  which  alone  can 
make  us  fruitful ;  and  till  this  takes  place,  we  are  oaly 
as  cumberers  of  the  ground  :  but  when  it  is  experi- 
enced, we  then  reap  the  benefit  of  this  prayer  of  our 
blessed  Saviour :  "  That  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast 
loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  1  in  them."  By  virtue 
of  this,  the  people  of  God  have  communion  with  him, 
and  with  one  another ;  which  would  be  more  complete 
and  refreshing  were  it  not  greatly  hindered  by  our 
fallen  nature.  Christ  ascended  as  our  Head.  St.  Paul 
prays  :  "  For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the  whole 
family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named,  that  he  would 
grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  to  be 
strengthened  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner 
man;  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith; 
that  ye  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able 
to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and 
length,  and  depth,  and  height ;  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye  might  be 
filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God  ;"  Eph.  iii.  14 — 19. 
A  great  part  of  the  family  is  already  gone  to  heaven  ; 
and  though  they  have  had  many  misgivings  while  on 
earth,  yet  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  they  overcame, 
and  have  entered  into  that  rest  which  never  more  can 
be  disturbed.  We  may  here  mark  that  God's  people 
while  on  earth  are  dear  to  him  ;  he  watches  over  them 
with  an  eye  of  tenderness ;  and  it  is  his  pleasure  not 
only  to  take  care  of  them  here,  but  to  have  them  with 
him  where  he  is,  to  share  as  well  as  behold  his  glory. 
It  is  this  that  shows  the  value  of  redemption,  and  the 
worth  of  the  soul.  He  is  "  not  ashamed  to  call  them 
brethren  ;"  so,  after  his  ascension,  he  says,  "  Go  tell  my 
brethren  that  I  go  before  them  into  Galilee."     He  is 


CHRIST  S    LAST    PRAYER    FOR    HIS    DISCIPLES.  181 

the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  and  the  rest  are  adopted 
in  him,  and  for  his  sake. 

I  can  imagine  a  man  possessed  of  every  worldly 
good  :  and  what  then  ?  Then  you  would  see  before 
you  a  poor,  pitiable  creature,  in  comparison  of  him  for 
whom  Christ  thus  prays :  for  "  what  shall  it  profit  a 
man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul? 
Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?" 
But  if  I  am  united  to  Christ,  and  have  the  love  of  God 
shed  abroad  in  my  heart,  I  have  more  than  I  could  ask 
or  think;  for  no  man  could  have  thought  it  possible 
that  God  should  have  so  regarded  sinners.  Therefore 
the  Apostle  might  very  properly  say,  "  Behold,  what 
manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that 
we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  !  Therefore  the 
world  knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew  him  not;" 
1  John  iii.  1. 

But  does  a  believer,  after  this,  murmur,  because 
things  are  not  all  that  he  could  wish  as  to  temporal 
concerns  ?  Is  he  found  peevish,  or  unthankful,  while 
such  blessings  are  conferred  upon  him  ?  Is  he  found 
covetous  ?  Is  he  found  inordinate  ?  Is  he  found  over- 
reaching and  dishonorable  in  his  dealings?  Is  he 
found  proud,  or  worldly-minded,  after  this  ?  ''  Tell 
it  not  in  Gath,  lest  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines 
rejoice,  lest  the  daughters  of  the  uncircumcised  tri- 
umph." Rather,  let  us  imitate  the  martyr,  who  when 
he  was  solicited  to  go  against  his  conscience,  made  no 
other  answer  than  this — "  I  am  a  Christian."  "  Let 
this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus."  . 

I  speak  to  Christians  :  you  are  sent  into  a  blind, 
dark  world,  lying  in  the  Wicked  One.  Learn  to  walk 
through  it  as  Christ  walked.  You  are  sent  into  the 
world.  "  As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  even 
so  have  I  also  sent  them  into  the  world  ;"  ver.   18. 


182  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

You  are  sent  into  the  world,  but  you  are  not  to  be  of 
the  world,  even  as  Christ  was  not  of  the  world.  He 
could  say,  "  I  have  glorified  thee  on  the  earth  :  I  have 
finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do.  I  have 
manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men  which  thou  gavest 
me  out  of  the  world :"  as  if  he  had  said,  O  righteous 
Father,  I  am  indeed  unknown  to  the  world  because 
thou  art  unknown,  and  nothing  is  now  before  me  in  the 
world  but  the  contradiction  of  sinners ;  but  thou  hast 
given  me  to  stand  as  the  living  Head  to  thy  mystical 
body  the  Church  ;  and  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  my- 
self, that  they  also  might  be  sanctified  through  the 
truth.  And  every  believer  may  say  after  him.  Thou 
hast  sent  me  into  the  world  ;  enable  me  to  finish  the 
work  thou  hast  appointed  me  to  do,  and  to  glorify  thee 
upon  earth  :  and  though  I  am  going  through  this  world 
like  a  pilgrim,  unknown  and  unnoticed,  support  me 
when  I  am  ready  to  sink  ;  guide  me  and  keep  me  from 
going  astray ;  intercede  for  me  to  the  Father ;  and 
bring  me  to  thy  eternal  rest,  where  I  may  forever  be- 
hold thy  glory. 


JESUS  WASHING  HIS  DISCIPLES'  FEET. 

Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  when  Jesus  knew  that  his  hour 
was  come  that  he  should  depart  out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father, 
having  loved  his  own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto 
the  end,  &c. — John  xiii.  1 — 11.  [Uncertain.] 

Our  great  comfort  and  encouragement  is  this — that 
our  blessed  Saviour  is  unchangeable.  He  does  not 
love  his  children  to-day,  and  not  love  them  to-morrow ; 
but  he  continues  to  love  them.     He  has  a  Cordial  love 


JESUS    WASHING    HIS    DISCIPLEs'    FEET.  183 

for  his  own  that  are  in  the  world.     The  twelve  were 
representatives  of  all  God's  spiritual  seed. 

Ver.  2.  "  And  supper  being  ended,  the  devil  having 
now  put  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son, 
to  betray  him  " — the  devil  having,  as  it  seems,  taken 
full  possession  of  the,  before,  evil  heart  of  Judas  :  (for 
the  sin  of  Judas  is,  in  this  parenthesis,  traced  to  its 
original :  it  was  a  sin  which  bore  the  devil's  image  and 
superscription.)  Judas  fell  into  the  snare.  The  devil 
aimed  also  at  Peter,  and  wished  to  sift  him  as  wheat, 
but  Peter  was  saved  by  Christ's  intercession  for  him. 
Christ  would  fortify  the  disciples  against  the  most 
dangerous  assaults  of  the  devil  by  a  singular  lesson  of 
humility. 

Ver.  3.  "  Jesus  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given 
all  things  into  his  hands,"  that  the  administration  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  among  men,  in  all  the  branches  of 
it,  was  committed  to  him  ;  '•  and  that  he  was  come 
from  God,  and  went  to  God."  He  came  from  God  as 
"  the  sent  of  God,"  as  commissioned  with  an  embassy 
of  mercy  to  lost  man  ;  and  he  "  went  to  God  "  to  be 
glorified  with  the  same  glory  which  he  had  before  the 
world  was,  and  also  to  be  an  agent  for  us  in  heaven. 
Knowing  that  his  hour  was  come  that  he  should  depart 
out  of  the  world,  and  return  to  the  glory  which  he 
left — because  Judas  having  now  resolved  to  betray 
him,  the  time  of  his  departure  could  not  be  far  off— he 
would  show  by  an  astonishing  act  of  condescension 
and  affection,  that  he  did  not  intend  to  cast  them  all 
off  for  the  faults  of  one  among  them. 

Vers.  4,  5.  "  He  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside 
his  garments  ;"  (he  laid  aside  his  loose  and  upper  gar- 
ments ;)  "  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself.  After 
that  he  poureth  water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash 
the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel 


184  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

wherewith  he  was  girded."  In  those  hot  countries, 
where  they  wore  sandals,  it  was  necessary  and  re- 
freshing that  the  feet  should  often  be  washed  ;  and  it 
was  considered  a  token  of  respect,  and  attention,  and 
kindness,  to  perform  this  office.  In  our  country  an 
imitation  of  such  an  act  would  be  superstitious  and 
absurd.  Christ  performed  this  as  a  representative  of 
his  whole  undertaking  :  he  came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto,  but  to  minister ;  he  had  laid  aside  his  robes  of 
light,  and  girded  himself  with  our  nature,  and  took  upon 
him  the  form  of  a  servant :  he  poured  out  his  soul  unto 
death,  and  thereby  prepared  a  laver  to  wash  us  from 
our  sins.  He  would  herein  signify  the  spiritual  wash- 
ing and  cleansing  of  the  soul  from  the  pollutions  of  sin. 
This  was  also  a  part  of  his  voluntary  abasement  for  our 
sakes. 

Ver.  6.  "  Then  cometh  he  to  Simon  Peter :  and 
Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet?" 
Here  we  see  the  honest  but  forward  spirit  of  Peter, 
opposing  the  conduct  of  his  Master,  which  he  could  not 
comprehend.  His  surprise  is  evident,  however  we 
understand  the  expression.  He  might  mean,  Lord, 
dost  thou  wash  my  feet  ?  Thou,  who  art  my  Lord 
and  Master,  whom  I  know  and  believe  to  be  the  Son 
of  God  ; — shalt  thou  so  humble  thyself  for  me,  "  a  sin- 
ful man  V — or,  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet  ?  the 
meanest  office  to  which  thou  couldst  descend  !  shalt 
thou  so  debase  thyself  as  to  wash  my  feet  ?  He  ought 
to  have  wondered  in  silence ;  as  knowing  it  was  his 
Lord  and  Master. 

Ver.  7.  "  Jesus  answered,"  with  the  most  astonishing 
forbearance  and  pity  for  his  ignorance  and  bhndness — 
"  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now ;  but  thou  shalt 
know  hereafter."  The  implicit  obedience  which  Christ 
required  was  attended  with  a  reason,  imJDlying   that 


JESUS    WASHING    HIS    DISCIPLEs'    FEET.  185 

there  was  something  very  important  in  this  sign,  which 
he  should  hereafter  understand.  Surely  this  ought  at 
once  to  have  silenced  Peter,  since  his  Master  promised 
that  he  should  know  hereafter  !  He  ought  not  to  have 
inquired  at  first ;  and  after  this  answer,  he  ought  much 
more  to  have  held  his  peace.  But,  the  very  picture  of 
human  nature,  he  still  persists  in  his  ignorance,  and 
says, 

Ver.  8.  "  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet."  The 
refusal  was  peremptory  ;  it  is  in  the  original,  Thou 
shalt  never  wash  my  feet ;  no,  never !  It  was  the  lan- 
guage of  a  fixed  resolution.  Peter  had  a  real  love  and 
respect  for  his  Master,  and  here  was  a  show  of  humilitv 
and  modesty.  But  this  show  of  humility  was  a  real 
contradiction  to  the  will  of  his  Lord.  Thus  many  are 
beguiled  of  their  reward  by  "  a  voluntary  humility," 
Col.  ii.  18,  19, — such  a  self-denial  as  Christ  neither 
appoints  nor  accepts.  Peter  was,  in  fact,  making  him- 
self wiser  than  his  Master.  Still  forbearing  with  him, 
"  Jesus  answered  him,"  ver.  8,  "  If  I  wash  thee  not, 
thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  Thou  dost  in  effect  re- 
nounce thy  allegiance.  If  thou  dost  not  comply  with 
thy  Master's  will,  thou  shalt  not  be  owned  as  his  dis- 
ciple. Our  Lord  further  declares  to  him  the  necessity 
of  spiritual  w^ashing  :  q.  d.  If  I  wash  not  th)^  soul  from 
the  pollution  of  sin,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me,  no  in- 
terest in  me,  no  communion  with  me.  All  those  whom 
Christ  owns,  he  justifies  and  sanctifies ;  and  both  are 
included  in  his  washing  of  them. 

Ver.  9.  "  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  not  my 
feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head."  Peter 
finding  what  the  sad  consequences  would  be  of  not 
submitting  to  his  Lord's  will,  is  now  for  dictating  and 
directins:  how  much  Christ  shall  do  for  him.  This  is  a 
picture  of  the  natural  heart,  ever  in  extremes.     Yet  we 


186  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

see  in  him  the  honest  man.  When  the  mistake  of  his 
understanding  was  rectified,  the  corrupt  resolution  of 
his  will  was  soon  altered.  Any  thing  but  to  be  cut  off 
from  Christ." 

Ver.  10.  "Jesus  saith  iiiit  >  him,  He  that  is  washed 
needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  every 
whit."  We  may  learn  from  this,  that  being  disciples 
of  Christ,  and  having  received  justification,  we  need 
not  go  a  second  time  to  be  justified ;  but  only  that  in 
our  daily  walk  and  intercourse  with  the  world  we  con- 
tract defilement ;  and  hence  need  constantly  to  be 
washed  in  the  "  fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  unclean- 
ness."  The  allusion  is  to  the  practice,  frequent  in 
those  hot  countries,  of  using  tire  bath.  He  that  is 
washed  all  over  in  the  bath,  when  he  returns  to  his 
house,  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet ;  his  hands  and 
head  having  been  washed,  and  he  having  only  soiled 
his  feet  in  returning  home.  It  is  the  comfort  and  priv- 
ilege of  such  as  are  in  a  justified  state,  that  they  are 
washed  by  Christ,  and  are  therefore  clean  every  whit. 
The  heart  may  be  swept  and  garnished,  and  yet  still 
remain  the  devil's  palace ;  but  if  it  be  washed,  it  be- 
longs to  Christ,  and  he  will  own  it.  Where  is  the 
Christian  who  does  not  need  the  cleansing  blood  of 
Christ  in  his  every  act  ? 

Ver.  10.  11.  "And  ye  are  clean,  but  not  all.  For 
he  knew  who  should  betray  him ;  therefore  said  he, 
Ye  are  not  all  clean."  Though  Judas  appeared  like 
the  rest  of  the  apostles,  and  made  the  same  outward 
profession,  yet  the  all-seeing  eye  of  Christ  could  pierce 
through  the  deepest  disguise,  and  find  out  the  heart  of 
a  hypocrite  even  in  one  of  his  disciples.  And  shall 
we  w'onder — we  may  be  grieved — but  shall  we  wonder 
that,  in  religious  societies,  there  should  be  some  mem- 
bers who  are  insincere  ;  when  even  in  so  small  a  num- 


JESUS    WASHING    III3    DISCIPLES'    FEET.  187 

ber  as  twelve,  and  those  chosen  apostles,  there  was  so 
great  a  hypocrite,  so  base  a  deceiver,  as  Judas  ?  Shall 
we  censure  the  whole  body  for  the  sake  of  a  part? 
Christ  loves  his  Church,  though  there  are  hypocrites  in 
it.  He  loved  his  disciples,  though  there  was  a  Judas 
among  them  ;  and  he  knew  it. 

Oh,  let  us  all  look  well  to  it,  and  examine  our  own 
hearts,  that  we  be  not  ourselves  of  the  sad  number 
of  unsound  professors  !  Christ  pronounces  his  disciples 
clean  "  through  the  word  he  had  spoken  unto  them." 
But  he  excepts  Judas.  '*  Ye  are  clean,  but  not  all." 
They  were  all  baptized,  even  Judas,  and  yet  not  all 
clean :  many  have  the  sign,  who  have  not  the  thing 
signified. 

But  let  us  now  be  more  particular  :  we  cannot  come 
to  our  own  case  if  we  deal  only  in  generals  :  we  must 
come  to  the  detail. 

1st.  We  have  here  a  lesson  on  the  duty  of  content- 
ment and  submission.  Who  is  there  among  us  but 
may  trace  out,  in  a  thousand  instances,  the  spirit  of 
Peter  ?  Prone  to  inquire,  even  of  wisdom  itself.  Why 
dost  thou  this  ?  I  do  not  now  address  myself  to  Arians 
or  Socinians  ;  but  to  the  merely  moral  man,  to  the 
self-righteous  man,  who  trusts  in  his  uprightness,  who 
appeals  to  the  fairness  of  his  reputation  in  the  world. 
What  is  it  that  makes  you  unwilling  to  confess  your- 
self a  miserable  sinner,  and  to  come  to  the  blood  of 
Christ,  but  the  pride  and  conceit  of  your  own  hearts  ? 
Naaman  had  a  worse  leprosy  than  that  of  the  body. 
He  had  the  pride  of  which  I  am  speaking,  and  said, 
"Are  not  Abana  and  Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus, 
better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  ?"  And  had  not 
the  Lord  been  long-suffering,  and  touched  his  heart,  he 
would  never  have  been  healed  of  either  one  or  the 
other.     We  must  be  washed  by  Christ,  one  and  all. 


188  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

There  is  the  water,  and  the  blood,  which  came  out  of 
his  side  ;  the  blood  to  take  away  our  guih,  and  the 
water,  or  the  influences  of  the  Spirit,  to  sanctify  and 
make  us  holy.  Let  us  examine  our  own  hearts,  and 
we  shall  discover  much  of  the  spirit  of  Peter;  much 
of  the  pride  of  Naaman.  Have  we  not  a  propensity  to 
ask,  Lord,  why  doest  thou  thus  ?  Poor  ignorant  short- 
sighted worms  as  we  are,  if  there  is  any  thing  which 
our  shallow  understandings  cannot  comprehend,  we 
are  stumbled  at  it,  and  are  for  searching  out  the  mys- 
tery. Instead  of  saying,  with  submission,  It  is  the  Lord 
who  has  done  it ;  or,  It  is  the  Lord  who  has  said  it ; 
and  therefore  I  will  not  dare  to  inquire : — for  though  I 
know  not  yet,  I  shall  know  hereafter  ;  if  necessary,  in 
this  world ;  but  if  not,  in  the  next ; — instead  of  thus 
knowing  our  proper  place,  our  quarrel  is  apt  to  be  with 
the  mode  in  which  the  Lord  shall  dispense  his  blessings. 
Every  time  we  feel  discontent,  murmurings,  and  re- 
pinings,  we  in  effect  say,  Lord,  why  doest  thou  thus  ? 
When  passing  through  deep  afflictions,  if  we  cannot 
fully  see  the  Lord's  design  in  sending  them,  we  say, 
Lord,  why  doest  thou  this  ?  Whereas,  we  ought  to 
rest  assured  that  the  Lord  has  done  it,  and  therefore  it 
must  be  right.  This  should  make  us  resigned  under 
trials.  Why  is  it  that  we  so  often  see  the  servant  de- 
siring to  be  in  the  place  of  the  master,  and  the  master 
aspiring  to  the  place  of  his  superiors ;  and  so  on,  from 
one  rank  to  another ; — but  because  each  is  saying, 
Lord,  I  should  have  been  better,  or  happier,  if  thou 
hadst  left  me  to  choose  for  myself!  If  you  are  dissat- 
isfied with  your  condition  or  occupation  in  life,  your 
want  of  affluence  or  ease,  and  are  longing  and  reach- 
ing after  more  riches,  more  honors,  and  murmuring 
because  you  have  not  all  your  wish,  examine  yourself 
closely :  is  not  this  finding  fault  with  what  the  Lord 


JESUS    WASHING    HIS    DISCIPLEs'    FEET.  189 

has  done  for  you  ?  and  fancying  you  could  have  done 
better  for  yourself?  Seek,  and  pray,  for  true  resigna- 
tion and  submission  to  the  Lord's  will ;  and  for  a  full 
assurance  that  whatever  the  Lord  does  is  right :  yea, 
infinitely  wise  and  good. 

2ndly.  We  have  here  a  lesson  of  humility  and  love. 
The  Lord  of  glory  is  taking  upon  him  the  meanest 
offices,  and  doing  that  for  his  disciples  which  they  per- 
haps would  not  do  for  each  other.  And  shall  we,  his 
poor  abject  creatures,  think  any  thing  too  much  be- 
neath us,  that  we  can  do  for  the  humblest  follower  of 
this  blessed  Saviour  !  Let  us  be  ashamed  of  our  pride 
and  haughtiness,  and  endeavor  to  imitate  our  patient 
humble  Redeemer.  It  was  in  the  immediate  foresight 
of  his  departure  that  our  Lord  washed  his  disciples' 
feet.  To  wash  one  another's  feet,  is  to  stoop  to  the 
meanest  offices  of  love  for  the  real  good  and  benefit  of 
our  fellow-Christians. 

Lastly,  it  behoves  us  strictly  to  examine  our  own 
hearts,  and  to  find  out  their  sinful  propensities .  Mark 
what  our  Saviour  says,  "  Ye  are  clean,  but  not  all." 
Judas.,  as  I  before  remarked,  bore  a  resemblance  to  the 
rest  of  the  Apostles,  and  was  included  in  the  number 
of  the  twelve.  Probably,  he  from  carelessness  might 
not  suspect  himself  as  being  capable  of  the  great  wick- 
edness he  was  about  to  commit,  until  the  temptation 
increased  upon  him.  The  devil  darts  in  his  sugges- 
tions, and  mingles  them,  undiscerned,  with  a  man's 
own  thoughts.  It  behoves  us,  therefore,  to  examine 
ourselves  strictly,  to  mortify  our  evil  propensities,  and 
seek  to  be  washed  from  them.  It  is  not  our  meeting 
among  Christians — it  is  not  our  being  accounted  one 
of  them — it  is  not  our  professing  to  be  one,  that  will 
avail  any  thing — unless  we  have  been  washed  in  the 
blood  of  Christ,  and  sanctified  by  his  Spirit.     Though 


190      •  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

we  may  hug  ourselves  in  the  arts  of  hypocrisy,  and 
escape  the  eye  of  our  fellow-mortals,  yet  nothing  is 
too  deep  for  the  piercing  eye  of  God  ;  the  eye  of  Christ 
can  separate  between  the  precious  and  the  vile,  the 
clean  and  the  unclean.  "  Jesus  knew  who  it  was  that 
should  betray  him." 

Let  us  constantly  watch  against  every  thing  that  is 
defiling.  We  must  cleanse  our  way  by  taking  heed 
unto  God's  word.  The  priests,  when  they  were  con- 
secrated, were  washed  with  water :  yet  whenever  they 
went  in  to  minister,  they  must  wash  their  hands  and 
feet  with  water,  on  pain  of  death.  Exod.  xxx.  19,  20. 
The  provision  made  for  our  cleansing  should  not  make 
ns  presumptuous,  but  more  cautious.  "How  should 
we,  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein?" 
Rom.  vi.  2. 


THE  AGONY  IN  THE  GARDEN. 

And  he  went  a  little  farther,  and  fell  on  his  face,  and  prayed,  saying, 
O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  :  nevertheless 
not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt. — Matt.  xxvi.  .39.  [1807.] 

We  are  now  entering  the  season  in  which  we  con- 
template the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that 
should  follow.  In  reference  to  this  solemn  season,  I 
have  found  a  defect  in  my  own  mind,  and  perhaps 
some  of  my  hearers  may  have  been  conscious  of  the 
same — namely,  the  considering  it  as  a  season  for  the 
mere  recital  of  these  astonishing  transactions,  instead 
of  one  for  deeply  meditating  on  the  grand  lessons 
brought  before  us  for  our  instruction. 

**  Then  cometh  Jesus."  says  the  Evangelist  in  the 


THE  AGONY  IN  THE  GARDEN.  191 

verses  preceding  the   text,  "  with  them  unto  a  place 
called  Gethsemane,  and  saith  unto  his  disciples,  Sit  ye 
here,  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder.     And  he  took  with 
him  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  began  to 
be  sorrowful   and  very  heavy.     Then  saith  he  unto 
them,  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death  : 
tarry  ye  here  and  watch  with  me.     And  he  went  a  lit- 
tle farther,  and  fell  on  his  face,  and  prayed,  saying,  O 
my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me : 
nevertheless  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt."     Let  us, 
in  considering  these  words,  fix  our  attention  on  two 
things :  , 

I.    The   OBLATION,  OR  SACRIFICE,  THAT  ChRIST  MADE. 

II.   The  exemplary  mode  of  his  preparing  for  it. 

I.  The  oblation,  or  sacrifice,  that  Christ  made. 
The  expression,  "  Let  this  cup  pass  from  me,"  is  idio- 
matic. The  cup  is,  in  this  sense,  an  emblem  of  suffering; 
in  allusion  to  the  cup  given  to  a  malefactor,  to  enable 
him  to  sustain  the  agonies  he  must  undergo.  Thus 
the  Lord  addresses  Jerusalem,  by  the  Prophet  Isaiah, 
"  Behold,  I  have  taken  out  of  thy  hand  the  cup  of 
trembling,  even  the  dregs  of  the  cup  of  my  fury ;  thou 
shalt  no  more  drink  it  again ;  but  I  will  put  it  into  the 
hand  of  them  that  afflict  thee."  The  dispensation  of 
our  Saviour's  sufferings  was  called  a  cup,  as  it  w^as  a 
'•'cup  of  trembling,"  and  a  cup  of  bitterness,  such  as  no 
mere  man  could  be  able  to  taste :  a  cup  in  which  were 
united  the  deepest  afflictions :  in  which  there  met  all 
the  woes  which  otherwise  would  have  fallen  on  sin- 
ners. "Who  his  own  self,"  says  the  Apostle,  "bare 
our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being 
dead  to  sin,  should  live  unto  righteousness :  by  whose 
stripes  ye  were  healed."  1  Pet.  ii.  24.  There  was  a 
translation  of  sin  and  wrath  from  us  to  Christ.     "  For 


192  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

he  hath  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin ; 
that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
him."  2  Cor.  v.  21.  It  was  exacted,  and  he  became 
answerable.  Our  Lord's  death  and  sufferings  were 
very  different  from  those  of  the  martyrs.  They  suf- 
fered mainly  in  their  bodies,  but  he  in  his  soul.  Any 
affection  of  the  body  is  comparatively  nothing  to  men- 
tal suffering.  "  The  spirit  of  a  man  may  sustain  his 
infirmity  ;  but  a  wounded  spirit  who  can  bear  ?"  An 
affection  on  the  mind  and  heart  will  bow  a  man  down. 
The  martyrs  had  the  presence  of  God  with  them,  and 
were  enabled  to  rejoice  even  in  the  flames ;  but  Christ 
was  to  experience  the  hidings  of  his  Father's  face  ;  he 
was  to  experience  the  displeasure  of  his  Father,  as 
standing  in  our  place.  The  sufferings  of  his  soul  be- 
gan as  soon  as  he  came  upon  earth.  From  the  first  he 
bore  the  contradiction  of  sinners,  and  his  holv  soul  was 
grieved  at  sin.  If  holy  men  who  were  yet  imperfect, 
like  Lot,  David,  and  others,  were  grieved  at  sin,  how 
much  more  must  Christ,  the  spotless  Lamb,  "  holy  and 
undefiled  !"  But  now,  in  his  last  agony,  he  was  to  take 
the  cup  of  wrath,  and  drink  it  to  the  dregs.  The  pro- 
phet asks,  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom  with 
dyed  garments  from  Bozrah?  This  that  is  glorious  in 
his  apparel,  travelling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength? 
Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  gar- 
ments like  him  that  treadeth  the  wine-fat  ?  I  have 
trodden  the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there 
was  none  with  me."  His  disciples  forsook  him,  and 
the  Father  hid  his  face  from  him.  Therefore  we  need 
not  wonder  that  our  Saviour  should  say,  "  Father,  if 
it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me." 

But  these  things  were  absolutely  necessary,  both  for 
the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  and  from  the  nature  of 
things. 


I 


THE  AGONY  IN  THE  GARDEN.       '   193 

1st.  Fo}^  the  fulfilment  of  Scripture.  Christ's  suffer- 
ings were  predicted  and  shadowed  forth  by  the  whole 
Levitical  economy,  and  the  priesthood  in  connection 
with  it ;  for  the  law  was  only  "  a  shadow  of  good 
things  to  come."  No  blood  but  the  blood  of  Christ 
could  atone  for  sin  :  "  It  is  not  possible  that  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  of  goats  should  take  away  sins.  Where- 
fore when  he  cometh  into  the  world,  he  saith.  Sacrifice 
and  offering  thou  wouldst  not,  but  a  body  hast  thou 
prepared  for  me."  The  Prophet  Isaiah  particularly 
describes  the  passion  of  Christ,  and  the  benefits  which 
should  result  from  it :  "  He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of 
his  soul  and  be  satisfied."  The  fruit  of  the  travail  of 
Christ's  soul  was,  that  he  should  bear  our  sins  and 
griefs ;  that  through  him  we  should  have  pardon  and 
peace  ;  that  he  naight  be  to  us  "  wisdom,  righteousness, 
sanctification,  and  redemption  ;"  it  was,  that  the 
mourners  might  be  comforted ;  the  weak  strengthened ; 
that  we  should  have  life  for  evermore  ;  and  that  all 
should  flow  to  us  through  the  bleeding  veins  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

We  consider  of  time  as  past,  present,  and  to  come. 
But  when  the  counsel  of  peace  was  made  between  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  it  was  as  one  eternal  now. 
When  Christ's  soul  was  made  *'  an  offering  for  sin,"  he 
knew  every  anxious  thought,  and  saw  every  sore  con- 
flict, which  his  purchased  people  should  pass  through. 
He  bore  "  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows."  If  you 
are  pining  under  losses  and  trials,  think  of  him  who 
was  "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief." 
Think  of  the  sympathy  he  still  affords  you,  and  the 
blessings  he  has  purchased  for  you.  The  value  of 
every  thing  is  best  known  by  the  price  of  it.  All  the 
contentment  which  the  world  could  afford  would  not 
be  worth  one  drop  of  Christ's  blood !     Yet  he  did  not 

9 


194  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

think  it  too  much  to  lay  down  his  life  for  immortal 
souls.  It  was  for  such  that  "  it  pleased  God  the  Father 
to  bruise  him ;"  and  what  it  was  thus  to  bruise  the 
Lamb  of  God,  we  can  have  little  conception  of!  The 
Lord  did  not  spare  him,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us 
all.  Rom.  viii.  32.  It  was  the  result  of  his  eternal 
counsel :  "  He  hath  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death"  as 
the  appointed  means  of  our  redemption  and  salvation. 
Thus  David,  speaking  in  the  language  of  prophecy,  in 
reference  to  the  oblation  of  Christ,  says,  "  I  am  poured 
out  like  water,  and  all  my  bones  are  out  of  joint :  my 
heart  is  like  wax;  it  is  melted  in  the  midst  of  my 
bowels."  Psalm  xxii.  14.  The  Prophet  Daniel  had  it 
revealed  to  him  that  after  threescore  and  two  weeks 
the  Messiah  should  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself  The 
death  of  Christ  was  plainly  intimated  by  Zechariah, 
chap.  xiii.  "Awake,  O  sword,  against  my  Shepherd, 
and  against  the  man  that  is  my  fellow,  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts:  smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  shall  be 
scattered :  and  I  will  turn  mine  hand  upon  the  little 
ones."  Whenever  we  think  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ, 
we  must  remember  that  they  were  as  an  oblation :  we 
must  see  in  them.  Christ  bearing  our  sins,  as  foretold 
and  appointed.  So  St.  Paul  speaks:  "For  I  delivered 
unto  you  first  of  all  that  which  I  also  received,  how 
that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures." 1  Cor.  XV.  3. 

2ndly.  But  Christ's  sufferings  were  not  only  neces- 
sary as  a  fulfilment  of  Scripture,  they  were  so  from  the 
nature  of  things.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  after  what 
has  been  said,  that  the  whole  plan  of  redemption  is  laid 
open  in  these  sufferings.  They  declare  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  ;  "  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier 
of  him  which  believeth  in  Jesus."  Rom.  iii.  26.  If  any 
say,  I  do  not  understand  how  the  innocent  should  suffer 


THE  AGONV  IN  THE  GARDEN.  195 

for  the  guilty,  I  answer.  The  plan  of  God  is  declared 
from  Genesis  to  Revelations,  that  Christ  should  take 
the  cup  of  sufferings,  and  drink  it  to  the  dregs,  that  he 
should  be  made  a  sin-offering  for  us.  If  we  cannot 
receive  God's  declaration,  we  must  take  the  conse- 
quences: we  can  receive  it  only  by  faith. 

You  will  see,  brethren,  that  if  this  is  the  plan  and 
scheme  of  redemption,  it  was  not  possible  that  the  cup 
should  pass,  that  Christ  should  not  drink  it.  When  he 
took  upon  him  the  work  of  Redeemer,  his  holy  human 
nature  shrunk  from  the  bitter  cup :  he  "  fell  on  his 
face,  and  prayed,  saying,  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible, 
let  this  cup  pass  from  me :"  i.  e.  if  it  be  possible  con- 
nected with  the  work  I  have  undertaken.  But  a  holv 
and  righteous  government  demanded  that  he  should 
drink  it  to  the  dregs :  therefore  our  Saviour  added, 
"  Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt."  While 
the  whole  is  a  covenant  of  grace  to  us,  yet  it  is  a  cov- 
enant of  works  to  Christ — a  bitter  draught  to  him. 
Therefore  no  wonder  he  should  say,  "  If  it  be  possible, 
let  this  cup  pass  from  me  :"  but  it  was  impossible, 
because  by  his  soul  being  made  "  an  offering  for  sin," 
salvation  was  established  to  sinners. 

"  Fools  make  a  mock  at  sin :"  the  reason  is,  because 
they  are  fools.  But  God's  work  cannot  be  thus  over- 
turned :  for,  as  the  poet  says, 

"  Die  he,  or  justice  must." 

It  was  necessary  that  God  should  show  his  mercy  in 
harmony  with  his  other  attributes.  It  was  necessary 
that  he  should  exhibit  his  wisdom ;  that  Christ  should 
appear  not  only  "  the  power  of  God,"  but  "  the  wisdom 
of  God."  It  was  necessary  to  show  that  sin  was  so 
horrible  a  thing,  that  nothing  less  than  the  death  of  the 
Son  of  God  could  make  expiation  for  it.     It  also  sets 


196  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

forth  how  full  and  free  is  the  grace  of  Christ ;   that  all 
may  come  and  take  this  salvation,  these  waters  of  life,  , 
freely.      To  understand   this  plan  of  salvation   is  so 
essential,  that  it  is  no  wonder   St.  Paul  should   say, 
*'God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  - 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

My  dear  hearers,  I  shall  soon  give  in  my  account  ;* 
and  I  must  therefore  tell  you,  that  unless  you  come  to 
God  in  this  way,  to  receive  every  thing  through  Christ, 
and  on  account  of  his  sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction, 
you  know  nothing  of  religion. 

Let  us  ask  ourselves — Are  we  satisfied  with  God's 
plan  ?  with  God's  people — with  his  ministers — with  his 
Gospel — with  his  precepts  ?  God  the  Father  was 
satisfied — Christ  was  satisfied  :  are  we  satisfied  ?  If 
we  are,  it  will  shovv^  itself  by  our  gratitude  and  thank- 
fulness. We  shall  remember,  as  often  as  we  sit  down 
to  our  meals,  that  every  morsel  of  bread  we  break  was 
purchased  for  us  by  the  sufferings  of  the  Redeemer's 
soul.     Let  us  proceed  to  consider, 

IL   The  exemplary  mode  in  which  Christ  prepared 

FOR  HIS  SUFFERINGS. 

"  He  fell  on  his  face,  and  prayed,  saying,  O  my 
Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  : 
nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt."  Here  is 
a  very  striking  example  for  us  whenever  we  have  any 
thing  great  to  transact.  "  Then  cometh  Jesus  with 
them  unto  a  place  called  Gethsemane,  and  saith  unto 
the  disciples,  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder.'* 
For  I  have  a  great  work  carrying  on  in  the  discharge 
of  my  priesthood.  I  am  giving  myself  as  a  sin-offering  ! 
The  whole  weight  of  his  people's  sins,  remember,  was 

*  This  Sermon  was  preached  about  a  year  before  the  actual  close  of 
Mr.  Cecil's  ministry. 


THE    AGONY    IN    THE    GARDEN.  197 

about  to  be  laid  upon  Christ.  It  was  in  these  "  days 
of  his  flesh"  when  he  "  offei'ed  up  prayers  and  suppH- 
cations  with  strong  crying  and  tears  unto  him  that 
was  able  to  save  him  from  death,  and  was  heard  in 
that  he  feared."  Heb.  v.  7.  These  prayers  were 
offered  upas  a  sacerdotal  oftering :  they  were  an  ex- 
piatory act.  In  the  other  intercessions  of  our  Saviour 
there  was  tranquillity,  but  in  the  garden  and  on  the 
cross,  during  the  hidings  of  his  Father's  face,  they 
were  unutterable.  When  the  mother  of  Zebedee's 
children  said,  "Grant  that  these  my  two  sons  may  sit, 
the  one  on  thy  right  hand  and  the  other  on  thy  left 
in  thy  kingdom,  Jesus  answered  and  said,  Ye  know 
not  what  ye  ask.  Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that 
I  shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with  ?" — Now,  says  our  Lord,  I 
have  a  cup  appointed  of  my  Father :  I  have  accepted 
it ;  for  if  my  people  cannot  be  saved  without  my 
drinking  it,  I  will  take  it :  I  have  prayed  that  if  it  were 
possible  it  might  pass  away  from  me  :  but  it  is  not  pos- 
sible ;  therefore  1  shall  drink  it.  If  there  is  no  other 
way  of  salvation  for  man,  "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  thy  will, 
O  God."     Here  is  a  blessed  example  set  before  us  ! 

There  is  no  greater  proof  of  advancement  in  holiness 
than  when  a  man  possesses  a  humble,  broken,  and 
contrite  spirit ;  ready  to  bear  injuries  with  meekness. 
Though  our  Loid  was  without  sin,  yet  he  bore  the 
contradiction  of  sinners,  and  proved,  by  every  act,  that 
he  was  meek  and  lowly  in  heart.  When  Peter  only 
whispered  concerning  his  sufferings,  "  Be  it  far  from 
thee,  Lord :  this  shall  not  be  unto  thee :"  our  Saviour 
rejected  the  insinuation  with  displeasure,  because  Peter 
did  not  properly  weigh  the  satisfaction  to  be  made  by 
the  cross.  Peter  again  was  rebuked  by  his  Master 
when  he  drew  his  sword,  and  struck  a  servant  of  the 


198  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

high  priest,  and  smote  off  his  ear.  "  Then  said  Jesus, 
Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  its  place."  Man  not  only 
is  blind,  and  needs  continually  correcting,  but  he  is 
wrong  in  his  spirit.  "  Put  up  thy  sword  !"  Go  and 
bear  my  cross,  but  do  not  oppose  it.  The  weapons  I 
appoint  *'  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God."  I 
could  destroy  these  enemies :  but  I  am  going  to  lay 
down  my  hfe.  How  otherwise  could  my  Father's  will, 
in  sending  his  Son  as  a  sacrifice,  be  accomplished  ? 
how  is  his  holiness  to  be  set  forth  ?  how  is  the  law  to 
be  magnified  ?  how  can  his  wisdom  be  displayed  ?  If 
I  drink  not  this  cup,  how  are  all  the  prophecies  to  be 
fulfilled  ?  how  are  all  the  types  to  be  explained  ?  how 
are  my  own  declarations  to  be  verified  ?  "  Put  up  thy 
sword!"  I  will  drink  this  cup,  that  the  sword  of 
justice  may  be  put  up  into  its  scabbard  :  how  else  shall 
the  song  of  the  redeemed  be  sung?  Rev.  v.  9 — 13. 
Christianity  is  the  only  religion  in  which  the  founder 
made  his  own  death  essential.  "  The  cup  which  my 
Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?" 

"If  any  man,"  says  Christ,  "will  come  after  me,  let 
him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me." 
Christ  teaches  us,  by  his  example,  submission  to  the 
will  of  God  in  the  great  work  of  travelling  from  this 
world  to  the  next.  Though  God  had  one  Son  without 
sin,  he  has  no  son  without  suffering.  Christ  himself 
was  "made  perfect  through  sufferings."  They  are 
much  mistaken  who  think  that  religion  will  never  put 
them  to  any  cost.  Christianity  is  a  mighty  scheme, 
and  whoever  is  about  to  enter  into  it,  must  sit  down 
and  count  the  cost.  Every  idol  must  be  given  up. 
The  man  whose  religion  permits  him  to  retain  any  idol, 
has  not  the  religion  of  the  Gospel.  We  can  never 
know  how  much  religion  there  is  in  any  profession,  till 


THE    AGONY    IN    THE    GARDEN.  199 

it  is  called  into  exercise.  Sufferings  manifest,  as  well 
as  form,  a  character. 

From  the  subject  we  have  been  considering,  let  us 
learn  three  things  : — 

1st.  To  beware  of  the  Socinian  error.  This  is  en- 
th'cly  opposite  to  the  scheme  of  redemption.  If  a  man 
is  professing  Christianity,  and  not  adorning  his  profes- 
sion, he  is  a  hypocrite.  But  Christianity  is  much  more 
than  a  moral  reformation.  It  thus  might  be  brought 
as  low  as  the  doctrines  of  a  Seneca  at  once.  Chris- 
tianity is  the  religion  of  a  sinner.  We  are  come  "to 
the  blood  of  sprinkling,  that  speaketh  better  things  than 
that  of  Abel."*  The  "  city  of  refuge"  was  but  a  picture 
of  the  refuge  provided  by  God  for  sinners  pursued  by 
the  sword  of  the  divine  justice.  Why  were  the  Israelites 
directed  to  look  at  the  "  brazen  serpent  ?"  God  ap- 
pointed these  ordinances  to  set  forth  Christ.  He  has 
said,  "  neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other ;  for  there 
is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men, 
whereby  we  must  be  saved."  We  have  to  do  with  a 
jealous  God  :  he  appointed  these  ordinances  of  old,  and 
promised  his  blessing  on  them :  and  the  Apostle,  in 
showing  Christ  as  the  true  antitype  of  all  the  Old 
Testament  institutions,  says — "  This  is  he  that  came 
by  water  and  blood,  even  Jesus  Christ ;  not  by  water 
only,  but  by  water  and  blood."  1  John  v.  6.  We  must 
be  introduced  by  One  who  can  plead  his  own  merits. 
We  must  drink  into  the  spirit  of  that  woman  who 
said,  "If  I  may  but  touch  His  garment,  I  shall  be 
whole."  If  I  want  a  man  to  act,  I  must  point  out  to 
him  an  evangelical  system  to  build  upon. 

There  are  many  truths  of  Christianity  which  we 
must  think  of  with  holy  reverence,  rather  than  endea- 
vor to  pry  into,  or  explain.  Spiritual  things  can  only 
be  spiritually  discerned  ;  nor  can  the  wisest  man,  in  his 


200  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

natural  state,  understand  them.  The  true  believer  will 
not  allow  himself  to  indulge  in  reasonings  and  disputings 
upon  those  mysteries  in  his  religion  which  he  cannot 
fathom.  It  is  sufficient  for  him  to  know,  in  all  difficult 
points — "  The  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it ;"  and, 
that  not  one  word  he  hath  spoken  can  fall  to  the  ground. 
We  are  taught  that  our  Saviour  was  both  God  and 
man ;  that  he  had  all  parts  of  our  human  nature  except 
sin.  Though  innocent,  he  was  tempted  and  tried. 
None  ever  suffered  like  him.  "  He  fell  on  his  face  and 
prayed,  saying,  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this 
cup  pass  from  me."  We  can  never  have  any  adequate 
idea  of  this  prayer  of  our  Lord's.  He  alone  knew  the 
bitterness  of  that  cup  he  was  about  to  drink,  even  to 
the  dregs.  If  there  had  been  any  other  means  possible 
whereby  we  might  have  been  saved,  but  by  his  death 
and  sufferings,  he  never  had  left  his  Father's  kingdom 
to  die  for  us  upon  the  accursed  tree.  No  other  sacrifice 
could  take  away  sin. 

2ndly.  Let  us  learn  to  examine  the  cup  of  suffering 
hy  the  light  of  the  cross ;  and  see  how  we  are  to  receive 
it  from  our  Lord  and  Master.  And  it  is  here  the 
Christian  understands  what  others  do  not.  Go  and 
listen  to  the  way  in  which  people  talk  of  the  cup  of 
suffering — both  the  ignorant  vulgar,  and  the  learned 
vulgar ;  hear  them  talk  ! — How  ill  I  am  used  !  How 
much  better  I  have  deserved.  And  then,  the  con- 
clusion is,  that  suffering  is  the  grand  evil.  I  trust,  we 
are  better  taught.  What  is  trouble  ?  What  is  pain  ? 
What  is  death  ?  The  generality  of  people  seem  to  have 
no  knowledge  of  what  sin  is.  Yet,  that  is  the  grand 
evil.  Sin  has  new  names  given  to  it.  To  be  profane, 
is  to  be  "polite;"  to  be  proud,  is  to  have  "a  proper 
spirit."  Both  the  grave  and  the  gay  make  light  of  sin, 
and  call  it  "  infirmity."     To  know  what  sin  is,  we  must 


THE  AGONY  IN  THE  GARDEN,  201 

see  Jesus  taking  the  cup  of  suffering  and  drinking  it 
to  the  dregs.      The  sufferings  of  Christ   should  lead 
us   to  contemplate    the    dreadful    nature   of   sin,   and 
to  fear  lest,  by  indulging  it,  we  should  crucify  to  our- 
selves the   Son  of  God  afresh.     The  storms  of  pride, 
sensuality,  covetousness  and  idleness,  require  no  slight 
skill  in  fighting  against  them ;  and  we  shall  never  fight 
against  them  so  well,  as  when  we  behold  the  cross  of 
Christ.     He   has,  of  his  infinite  mercy,  given  us  an- 
other cup,  even  "  the  cup  of  salvation :"  let  us  take  it, 
**  calling  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
''  Are  you  called  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  temptation  and 
desertion  ?     Learn   of   Christ  how  to  bear  it.      Our 
Saviour  in  his  sufferings  might  justly  say,  "  My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?"     He  had  never 
grieved  his  Father  :    he  was  holy  and  undefiled.     But 
when  such  poor  sinful  worms  as  we  are,  fall  under  the 
hidings  of  our  Father's  face,  we  have  no  need  to  ask, 
Why  is  this?     Our  sinful,  ungrateful,  unfaithful,  wan- 
dering hearts  may  answer  why.     Under  ten  thousand 
accusations    of  conscience,    and    slighted    favors,  the 
question  might  rather  be,  Why  has  he  not  so  forsaken 
thee  as  to  leave  thee  without  hope  1     Why  has  he  not 
withdrawn  his  providential  care,  and  the  supplies  of  his 
grace  ?     The  only  answer  is.  Because  "  his  mercy  en- 
dureth   forever."     When  we  want  the  faith  of  assu- 
rance, let  us  live  by  the  faith  of  adherence.     Christ 
says,  "  Learn  of  me."     I  took  the  cup  that  my  Father 
gave  me  to  drink,  that  I  might,  by  so  doing,  sweeten 
every  cup  that  can  be  put  into  the  hand  of  my  real 
disciples,  and  make  every  burden  light. 

Look  at  the  meekness  with  which  Christ  reproves 
his  sleeping  disciples:  *' What,  could  ye  not  watch 
with  me  one  hour  ?  Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter 
not  into  temptation :  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the 

9* 


202  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

flesh  is  weak."  The  weak  believer  may  be  ready  to 
say,  "I  shall  one  day  perish  by  the  hand  of  Saul." 
Let  such  remember,  that  the  battle  is  not  theirs,  but 
God's.  "  Who  goeth  a  warfare  any  time  at  his  own 
charges  ?"  Not  the  Christian  soldier,  for  he  is  left  to 
purchase  neither  arms  nor  armor :  all  is  provided  for 
him ;  and  he  has  nothing  to  do  but  to  follow  his  great 
Captain. 

3rdly.  We  may  learn,  that  if  Christ  felt  the  need 
of  prayer  to  prepare  him  for  suffering,  how  much 
more  must  ive  need  it !  Our  trials  may  not  be  removed, : 
but  by  prayer  we  may  be  comforted,  strengthened,  and 
supported  under  them ;  so  as  to  be  able  to  say,  The 
Lord  ordereth  all  things  well.  While  it  is  our  duty 
and  privilege,  in  every  time  of  need,  to  make  our  re- 
quests known  unto  God,  we  must  also  remember  that 
he  has  more  ways  of  answering  our  prayers  than  one. 
Let  us  be  content  with  the  answer  which  he  gives, 
though  it  should  seem  contrary  to  our  wishes.  Christ 
has  given  every  believer  a  plea :  let  him  use  it  sin- 
cerely, earnestly,  perseveringly.  Hereafter,  we  shall 
see  that  the  cup  of  suffering  was  our  greatest  blessing ; 
and  admire  the  pains  God  hath  taken  with  our  froward 
hearts. 

*'  Give  me,"  said  a  great  mathematician,*  "  but  a 
place  where  to  fix  my  fulcrum,  and  I  will  move  the 
world.  We  have  a  resting-place,  while  standing  on 
the  rock  Christ,  from  whence  we  may  calmly  look  at 
heaven  and  hell,  and  meet  eternity  without  a  fear. 
Let  us  be  careful  to  secure  a  friend  in  our  suffering 
Saviour.  A  time  is  coming,  when  the  doctrine  of  a 
crucified  Saviour  will  be  more  precious  to  us  than 
thousands  of  gold  and  silver.  A  time  is  coming,  when 
he  who  has  neglected  the  salvation  of  his  soul  for  the 

*  Archimedes. — Ed. 


THE  GRAND  OBJECT  OF  FAITH.         203 

riches,  honors,  and  pleasures  of  this  world,  would  gladly 
sell  all  to  purchase  an  interest  in  Christ,  and  his  salva- 
tion. This  subject  is  the  only  string  which  an  enlight- 
ened mind  can  find  to  harp  upon  ;  and  it  is  the  wis- 
dom of  all  such  never  to  depart  from  it. 


THE  GRAND  OBJECT  OF  FAITH. 

And  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  Behold  the  Man  ! — John  xix.  5.      [1796.] 

When  we  are  shown  by  St.  John,  Revelations  v. 
6 — 14,  "a  Lamb  as  it  had  been  slain,"  we  are  at  the 
same  time  told  of  his  glorious  dignity.  When  we  see 
this  "  Man  of  Sorrows  "  standing  before  Pilate,  loaded 
with  disgrace  and  shame,  and  dumb  "  as  a  sheep  before 
her  shearers,"  we  should  at  the  same  time  remember 
that  we  behold  the  Man  who  is  God's  equal.  "Awake, 
O  sword,  against  my  Shepherd,  and  against  the  man 
that  is  my  fellow,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  Zech. 
xiii.  7.  It  is  certain  that  our  Lord  considered  himself 
in  that  point  of  view,  when  he  stood  before  Pilate,  and 
said,  "  Thou  couldst  have  no  power  at  all  against  me, 
except  it  were  given  thee  from  above."  And  the 
apostle,  speaking  of  Christ,  saith,  "  Who  being  in  the 
form  of  God  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with 
God."  And  it  is  remarkable  that  our  Lord's  accusation 
rested  upon  his  claim  of  being  the  Son  of  God,  ver.  7. 
Whenever,  therefore,  we  consider  this  *'  Man  of  Sor- 
rows," and  see  how  he  was  "  despised  and  rejected  of 
men,"  let  us  remember  that  how  low  soever  he  stooped, 
his  name  is  "  Emmanuel,  God  with  us  :"  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  in  whom  is  our  righteousness  and  strength. 


204  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

The  infinite  dignity  of  Him  who  came  down  from 
heaven  to  suffer  and  to  die  for  man,  stamps  infinite 
dignity  on  all  those  things  that  respect  Christianity. 
"  Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness  ;  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh."  Some  may  be  almost  staggered  at  the  view 
of  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  standing  before  Pilate 
as  a  poor  captive,  the  scorn  of  the  very  rabble.  Such 
cavillers  must  come  back  to  the  declaration,  "  Great  is 
the  mystery :"  which  implies  something  hidden  from  our 
apprehension.  But  when  we  consider  this  Victim  as 
the  sinner's  Ransom,  Isa.  liii.  8 ;  Acts  xx.  28,  we  see 
revealed  how  "  God  can  be  just,  and  yet  the  justifier 
of  him  that  believeth  in  Jesus."  Who  will  pretend  to 
say  what  are  the  claims  of  infinite  justice  1  It  is  one 
thing  to  think  of  sin  as  it  appears  in  the  eyes  of  men, 
and  another  to  contemplate  it  as  it  appears  in  the  eyes 
of  a  holy  God.  How  is  this  load  of  guilt  to  be  taken 
off?  Only  through  the  atonement  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ :  remission  of  sin  is  only  through  his  name. 
The  whole  Bible  points  out  that  "  without  shedding  of 
blood,  there  is  no  remission."  *'Look  unto  me,  and  be 
ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  for  I  am  God,  and 
there  is  none  else."  Isa.  xlv.  22.  "If  we  walk  in  the 
light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  have  fellowship  one  with 
another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin."  1  John  i.  7. 

To  behold  God  incarnate,  as  a  "  Man  of  Sorrows," 
and  dying  as  a  malefactor,  is  indeed  a  strange  thing,  a 
stupendous  mystery  !  nor  less  stupendous  mercy  ! 

*'  A  truth  so  strange,  'twere  bold  to  think  it  true, 
If  not  far  bolder  still,  to  disbelieve  !"* 

Every  thing  that  respects  God  and  his  government 
must  be  strange  to  such  a  short-sighted  creature  as 

♦  Young's  Night  Thoughts—  ■<  Christian  Triumph."— Ed, 


THE    GRAND    OBJECT    OF    FAITH.  205 

man.  Should  we  not  rather  inquire,  like  Moses,  and 
say,  "  T  will  now  turn  aside,  and  see  this  great  sight !" 
An  obligation  is  laid  upon  us  to  contemplate  the  abase- 
ment of  Christ,  and  the  benefits  which  result  to  us  from 
this  great  event. 

But  how  ought  we  to  behold  this  "  Man  of  Sorrows  ?"* 
We  should  behold  him,  with  faith,  love,  and  gratitude. 
We  should  behold  him  with  serious  attention ;  fix  on 
him  the  eye  of  the  mind ;  see  the  drops  of  blood — the 
thorns — the  meek  anguish  of  the  atoning  Saviour  ! 
But  especially  with  the  eye  of  faith ;  as  the  sent  of 
God ;  as  the  True  Physician ;  as  a  Remedy  of  infinite 
cost.  God  puts  contempt  on  all  other  remedies  pro- 
posed by  man,  but  sets  his  seal  to  his  own.  To  all  who 
receive  it,  it  becomes  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation. 
We  are  called  to  embrace  these  truths  as  our  only  com- 
fort, as  well  as  our  everlasting  security. 

Again  ;  we  should  behold  him,  as  our  righteousness 
and  strength.  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  To  the  plague  of  the 
heart,  the  Lamb  of  God  is  the  remedy.  We  should 
behold  him,  while  we  may,  as  a  Saviour  :  we  cannot 
look  at  him,  as  such,  when  life's  opportunity  is  over. 
We  should  now  plead  the  merit  of  his  blood. 

Again;  we  should  behold  him  as  the  Judge  of  the 
world;  and  ourselves  before  his  judgment  seat,  hav- 
ing no  hope  but  by  being  in  favor  with  him  who  is  ap- 
pointed to  be  our  judge :  for,  "  Behold,  he  cometh 
with  clouds ;  and  every  eye  shall  see  him,  and  they 
also  which  pierced  him  ;  and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth 
shall  wail  because  of  him.    Even  so,  Amen."  Rev.  i.  7. 

What  is  a  spiritual  man  ?  One  whose  ear  is  awak- 
ened to  hear  what  God  says,  whose  conscience  is  tender, 
whose  eyes  are  open  to  behold  a  crucified  Saviour, 
whose  heart  is  open  to  receive  him ;  and  who,  instead 


206  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

of  fleeing  from  God,  like  Adam,  is  enabled  to  seek  him 
in  the  way  he  has  appointed. 

The  grand  peculiarity  of  Revelation  is  Redemption : 
the  whole  of  Scripture  consists  in  calling  the  attention 
of  a  lost  world  to  behold  a  Vicarious  Sacrifice.  This 
was  the  subject  of  the  types.  God  said  to  Moses,  "  I 
will  meet  with  the  children  of  Israel."  As  though  he 
had  said,  We  have  been  awfully  separated  ! — but  it 
must  be  in  my  appointed  way.  "  Thou  shalt  offer  upon 
the  altar  two  lambs  of  the  first  year,  day  by  day,  con- 
tinually ....  This  shall  be  a  continual  burnt-offering 
throughout  your  generations  at  the  door  of  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation  before  the  Lord  .  .  .  and 
there  will  I  meet  with  the  children  of  Israel."  See 
Heb.  X.,  which  shows  that  Christ  is  the  substance  of 
all  the  types.  We  are  God's  witnesses  of  his  grace  and 
favor;  not  to  Jews  only,  but  also  to  Gentiles. 

Is  sin  a  separating  thing  between  the  sinner  and 
God  ?  Faith  lays  its  hand  on  the  head  of  the  "  scape- 
goat :"  it  pleads  the  Great  Sacrifice  of  God's  own  ap- 
pointing :  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world  !  This  excites  love  :  "  We 
love  him  because  he  first  loved  us."  This  is  the  doc- 
trine by  which  a  Christian  overcometh  the  world. 
''  These  are  they,"  says  St.  John,  *'  who  came  out  of 
great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  :"  i.  e.  they 
are  conquerors  !  What  is  the  world's  hero  in  com- 
parison with  the  silent,  constant,  unfainting  Christian,  ^ 
whose  eye  is  fixed  on  Christ,  and  who  by  faith  is  over- 
coming the  world  ?  He  is  the  true  hero  !  The  whole 
world  is  one  grand  impertinence  to  him  who  has  beheld 
Jesus  Christ  by  the  eye  of  faith. 

I  exhort  all  seriously  to  consider  the  greatness  of 
their  responsibility  in  sitting  under  the  sound  of  the 


THE  GRAND  OBJECT  OF  FAITH.         207 

Gospel,  and  what  will  be  their  condemnation  if  they 
reject  it.  ''  This  is  the  condemnation,"  i.  e.  this  is  em- 
phatically the  condemnation — "  that  light  is  come  into 
the  world,  but  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light, 
because  their  deeds  were  evil."  It  will  be  a  most  pain- 
ful task  indeed,  to  spend  eternity  in  recollecting  that 
you  perished  with  this  great  atonement  and  sacrifice 
before  your  eyes !  This  will  be  the  ''  worm  that  never 
dieth."  I  shall  be  a  witness  against  you  :  I  shall  be  a 
witness  that  Christ  was  held  forth  to  you  as  the  Great 
Foundation  Stone  on  which  you  might  build  for  eter- 
nity. Think  seriously  of  your  responsibility.  If  Christ 
should  prove  to  you  only  "  a  stone  of  stumbling,"  re- 
member he  has  been  set  before  you  as  God's  appointed 
Remedy.  I  call  upon  you  to  be  reconciled  to  God ! 
Consider  what  must  be  the  guilt  of  neglecting  so  great 
salvation  !  Beware  of  stumbling  at  this  "  stumbling- 
stone  ;"  at  this  mystery !  Rather,  let  us  adore  the 
grace,  that  "  God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  his  only 
begotten  Son  :"  let  us  take  the  benefit  of  this  mystery  ; 
and  adore  the  wonderful  mercy  displayed  to  lost  man. 
You,  who  have  felt  your  ruin,  come  and  behold  him 
lifted  up  for  you,  as  the  "  brazen  serpent "  in  the  wil- 
derness ;  and  fix  on  him  the  eye  of  faith  ! 

If  any  are  under  sorrow,  guilt,  temptation,  fear  of 
death — "  Behold  the  Man  !"  If  weary  in  the  race  you 
run — if  desirous  to  obtain  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ — 
still,  "  behold  the  Man  !"  Temptations  will  assault : 
but  you  are  ever  to  be  looking  to  this  great  object  of 
faith.  "  In  the  midst  of  the  throne  there  stood  a  Lamb 
as  it  had  been  slain  " — stood,  to  be  admired  by  heaven 
and  earth,  and  as  the  Remedy  appointed,  and  approved 
of  God : 

"  For  us  he  lived,  for  us  he  died." 


208  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

To  all  who  have  been  praying  for  ability  to  meditate 
with  profit  on  this  great  subject,  the  text  affords  en- 
couragement and  direction — "  Behold  the  Man  !"  "  We 
all,  with  open  face,  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of 
the  Lord,  are  changed,"  i,  e.  transformed,  by  looking, 
and  in  looking,  "  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to 
glory." 


THE   CROSS. 

And  whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be 

my  disciple. — Luke  xiv.  27.  [1803.] 

At  this  season  of  the  year,  our  Church  calls  its  mem- 
bers particularly  to  attend  to  the  passion  of  our  Lord. 
It  seems  to  say,  "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was 
also  in  Christ  Jesus."  The  sentiment  of  our  Lord  as 
expressed  in  the  text,  and  the  sentiment  of  this  world, 
is  so  opposed,  that  even  the  disciples  "understood  not 
this  saying,  and  it  was  hid  from  them,  that  they  per- 
ceived it  not :  and  they  feared  to  ask  him  of  that  say- 

ing." 

Brethren  !     If  this  appointed  cross  is  our  appointed 

remedy,  let  us  not  wish  to  receive  the  doctrine  in  a 
sophisticated  manner.  What  will  it  avail  to  take  parts 
only  ?  therefore  take  it  up  cordially.  Christ's  cross 
truly  enriches  and  distinguishes  the  true  disciple. 

"There  went,"  we  are  told,  "great  multitudes  with 
him :  and  he  turned,  and  said  unto  them.  If  any  man 
come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father,  and  mother,  and 
wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and 
his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple. .  And  who- 
soever doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and  come  after  me,  can- 


THE    CROSS.  209 

not  be  my  disciple."  This  does  not  mean  literally  to 
hate  ;  but  it  is  a  manner  of  speaking  peculiar  to  the 
Scriptures,  when  one  thing  is  to  be  held  in  subordina- 
tion to  another.  It  is,  therefo^'e,  as  though  our  Saviour 
had  said,  You  may  follow  me  because  of  the  loaves 
and  fishes,  or  through  curiosity, — but  I  will  tell  you 
how  a  man  must  be  my  disciple.  He  must  enter  into 
the  constitution  of  my  kingdom  :  he  must  enter  into 
the  spirit  and  design  of  it ;  a  man  must  deny  himself. 
Self  has  usurped  dominion  over  us :  it  has  dethroned 
God  :  we  seek  our  own  pleasure,  and  pursue  our  own 
object.  But  if  we  would  be  Christ's  disciples,  this  idol 
must  be  brought  down  ;  we  must  mortify  the  deeds'  of 
the  bod}^ :  whatever  our  crosses  are,  they  must  be  taken 
up.  There  must  be  a  cordial  reception  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  cross :  a  conformity  to  Christ's  death  ;  and 
therefore,  saith  our  Saviour  in  the  text,  "  Whosoever 
doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be 
my  disciple."  To  be  true  disciples  of  Christ,  we  must 
be  willing  to  do,  or  suffer,  whatever  is  his  will.  We 
are  engaged  in  a  service  that  will  often  cost  dear  to 
flesh  and  blood  :  but  the  Christian  is  a  soldier,  and  he 
must  fight.  He  never  tempts  danger  ;  but  when  called 
to  meet  it  in  the  way  of  duty,  he  never  shrinks  from  it : 
but  counts  it  his  honor  to  suffer  in  the  cause  of  God. 
There  are  some  things  that  mav  be  considered  as 
not  included  in  the  sense  of  these  words.  Our  Lord 
does  not  call  for  a  "  voluntary  humility  :"  for  this  may 
be  found  where  there  is  no  circumcision  of  heart. 
Such  things  may  be  found  in  the  history  of  the  Hea- 
thens and  Brahmins :  such  was  the  religion  of  the 
Pharisees,  and  such  are  the  contrivances  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  Things  may  have  a  splendid  appearance  : 
but  if  the  root  and  principle  be  examined,  they  may  be 
found  false.     So  also,  any  unscriptural  austerity,  any 


210  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

thing  concerning  which  it  may  be  said,  "  Who  hath  re- 
quired this  at  your  hands  ?"  must  not  be  called  that 
seh-denial,  and  taking  up  of  the  cross,  to  which  the 
text  refers.  For  this  is  *'  will-worship."  "  Let  no  man 
therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect 
of  an  holiday,  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath 
days :  which  are  a  sliadow  of  things  to  come  ;  but  the 
body  is  of  Christ."  Religion  has  crosses  enough  of  its 
own  to  carry ;  there  is  no  occasion  to  invent  one. 
Superstitious  appendages  make  religion  appear  una- 
miable,  to  say  the  least. 

To  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  text,  requires  a  gra- 
cious nature,  inclined  to  fulfil  the  will  of  God.  It  is  a 
gracious  determination  against  corruptions.  Taking 
up  the  cross,  is  bearing  the  yoke  of  Christ.  It  is  living 
in  the  world  as  Christ  lived ;  and  as  preserved  by  the 
grace  of  Him,  "  who  left  us  an  example,  that  we  should 
follow  his  steps."  See  St.  Paul's  view  of  the  subject : 
"  God  forbid  that  I  should  srlorv,  save  in  the  cross  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified 
unto  me,  and  I  unto  the  world."  It  is  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  producing  a  new  creature ;  enlightening  the 
understanding  to  see  what  the  world  is  ;  and  also  what 
the  flesh  would  be,  if  unmortified  ;  enabling  the  soul  to 
soar  above  the  world ;  and  drawing  up  the  affections 
to  fix  on  things  above. 

Oh,  when  that  day  comes  that  will  prove  every  man's 
work  by  fire,  how  much  profession  will  be  burnt  up, 
which  now  makes  a  very  fair  show  !  How  few  are 
there,  comparatively,  who  are  disposed  to  take  up  that 
cross  to  which  Peter  objected  at  first,  but  which  after- 
wards he  so  cordially  took  up  !  "  Forasmuch  then  as 
Christ  hath  suffered  for  us  in  the  flesh,  arm  yourselves 
likewise  with  the  same  mind :  for  he  that  hath  suffered 
in  the  flesh  hath  ceased  from  sin."     I  Peter  iv.  I. 


THE    CROSS.  ^      211 

By  the  expression,  "  take  up  his  cross,"  is  meant  the 
appointed  dispensation,  or  trial,  that  lies  in  a  Christian's 
way  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  whatever  it  is.  The 
Christian  will  find  he  has  a  daily  cross  to  take  up. 
He  must  not  say,  Hitherto  will  T  go,  and  no  farther ;  but 
he  must  count  the  cost ;  he  must  draw  the  sword,  and 
throw  away  the  scabbard,  if  he  would  be  Christ's  disci- 
ple. Now,  if  a  man  will  not  come  to  this  point, — if  he 
will  "  save  his  life,"  i.  e.  if  he  will  enjoy  it  in  the  way 
the  world  expects,  saying,  Tell  me  not  of  the  cross,  of 
persecutions,  of  giving  up  present  things,  for  I  have 
said  to  my  soul,  "  Take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry ;"  take  thy  fill  of  earthly  delights ;  make  the 
most  of  this  life  : — such  a  man  cannot  be  Christ's  dis- 
ciple. He  may  be  the  disciple  of  some  celebrated 
preacher ;  he  may  be  the  disciple  of  some  favorite  re- 
ligion ;  but  a  man  will  not  forsake  all,  till  there  has 
been  the  holy  breath,  spoken  of  in  Ezekiel  xxxvii.  9. 

See  the  young  man  in  the  Gospel :  he  felt  that  too 
much  was  demanded  of  him.  He  had  not  principle  to 
come  up  to  the  demand.  But  when  a  man  is  taught 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  will  not  think  any  thing  too 
much.  Like  the  apostle,  he  will  count  all  things  but 
dung  and  dross  in  comparison  of  Christ.  And  the  ac- 
tually being  brought  to  this,  in  heart  and  spirit,  is  the 
distinguishing  point  between  one  class  of  professors  and 
another. 

Certain  false  characters  will  object,  and  say,  Where 
are  such  self-denying  persons  as  these  to  be  found  ? 
But  God  has  never  left  himself  without  witness.  His 
grace  is  suflicient  to  enable  us  to  do  what  is  required. 
Does  not  the  Bible  say,  that  Enoch  walked  with  God  ? 
that  Abraham  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he 
went  ?  that  Moses  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pha- 
raoh's daughter  ?     Will  any  one  object,  and  say,  But 


212  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

these  were  very  peculiar  characters  !  rather  say,  They 
were  a  part  of  a  "  pecuhar  people,  a  chosen  generation, 
a  royal  priesthood."  vSee  Heb.  xi.  We  shall  find 
martyrs  also,  living  martyrs ;  retiring  Christians,  who 
shut  their  doors  about  them,  and,  in  private  prayer, 
hold  communion  with  their  Father  in  heaven.  One 
reason  why  human  nature  does  not  love  prayer,  is  be- 
cause it  requires  a  man  to  enter  into  his  chamber,  and 
shut  his  door  about  him :  there  is  no  splendor  in  it. 
Men  cannot  see  what  he  is  doing. 

With  respect  to  the  dispensation  of  trial  lying  before 
a  real  Christian,  which  if  he  would  be  Christ's  disciple 
he  must  take  up,  it  partly  results  from  the  nature  of 
things,  and  it  is  partly  a  dispensation  from  God,  for 
wise  ends. 

1st.  It  partly  results  from  the  nature  of  things. 
For  if  a  Christian  is  to  pass  through  the  world,  which 
"lieth  in  wickedness,"  will  it  not  necessarily  result,  that 
he  must  meet  with  trials  ?  Will  there  not  be  persecu- 
tions— snares  ?  Will  he  not  be  interrupted,  and  vexed, 
wnth  its  follies  ?  And  will  he  not  be  called  upon  to  cast 
down  imaginations  which,  in  the  world,  go  under  the 
name  of  wisdonx?  And  besides  all  this,  there  is  the 
body  of  sin  and  death,  called,  "the  flesh."  How  have 
the  mighty  been  harassed  by  this  enemy  !  Witness 
David  and  Paul  ;  see  Rom.  vii.  And  further,  the 
Christian  has  to  combat  the  roaring  lion,  who  will  often 
"  transform  himself  into  an  angel  of  light."  But  the 
trial,  whatever  Satan  may  intend,  proves  a  means  of 
purifying  the  Christian.  There  is  no  indulgence  grant- 
ed to  any  man,  to  excuse  him  from  taking  it  up.  The 
true  disciple  does  not  stand  to  inquire  what  sort  of 
cross  it  is,  or  if  he  can  lay  it  aside  ;  but  he  says,  I  must 
take  it  up.  The  language  of  a  true  disciple  is,  "  Let 
us  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him :"  or  like  that  of  St. 


THE    CROSS.  213 

Paul,  "  That  I  may  know  Christ,  and  the  power  of  his 
resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  being 
made  conformable  unto  his  death." 

Trouble  does  not  arise  out  of  the  dust.  It  is,  2ndly, 
a  dispensation  from  God  for  wise  ends;  which  is  a 
further  reason  why  we  should  take  it  up,  and  bear  it 
patiently.  How  did  Christ  bear  his  cross  ?  He  said, 
"  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me : 
nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done."  He 
drank  the  bitter  cup,  even  to  the  dregs,  when  he  laid 
down  his  life  for  us  ;  and  left  us  an  example  how  to 
bear  suffering.  What  did  Abel  do,  under  the  persecu- 
tions of  Cain  ?  What  was  the  conduct  of  Noah,  amidst 
the  scoffs  of  an  ungodly  generation  ?  Who  were  they, 
that  wandered  about  in  sheep-skins  and  goat-skins,  of 
whom  the  world  was  not  v/orthy  ?  Why  truly,  all 
these,  seeing  they  were  compassed  about  with  trials 
and  difficulties,  took  up  their  cross,  and  bore  it  pa- 
tiently. Thus  they  were  added  to  the  great  cloud  of 
witnesses,  who  laid  aside  every  weight,  looking  unto 
Jesus,  and  having  "  respect  to  the  recompence  of  re- 
ward." 

The  Christian  is  also  called  to  take  up  the  yoke  of 
his  station;  the  cross  of  his  dispensation.  There  are 
those  who  spurn  at  bearing  any  cross  :  who  despise  the 
idea  of  having  the  spirit  of  a  little  child  ;  and  of  saying, 
in  the  spirit  of  meekness,  The  yoke  that  my  heavenly 
Father  puts  upon  me,  shall  I  not  bear  it  ?  Is  it  not  the 
Lord's  yoke  ?  If  it  bear  hard,  yet  it  is  for  my  good  :  if 
it  bear  hard  upon  my  corrupt  nature,  it  is  a  proof  it 
comes  from  Christ ;  that  it  is  the  true  medicine ;  that 
it  is  the  way  in  which  God  circumcises  the  foreskin  of 
my  heart.  If  it  makes  me  nothing,  that  is  the  design 
of  the  trial.  I  am  to  be  willing  to  endure  my  cross,  as 
Christ  did  his. 


214  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

It  is  a  common  remark,  how  easily  we  imitate  the 
characters  we  admire !  It  is  an  evidence  that  we  be- 
long to  Christ,  when  we  tread  in  his  steps.  Thus,  if  it 
pleases  God  to  make  us  pass  through  pain  and  difficul- 
ty,— if  we  are  in  circumstances,  where  it  is  impossible 
we  can  do  any  thing  more  than  patiently  to  bear  and 
weather  suffering,  yielding  to  what  we  have  to  undergo 
in  a  submissive  spirit, — this  is  being  his  disciples,  and 
following  him,  by  taking  up  our  cross.  Temptation 
may  lead  even  a  Christian  to  be  angry  ;  but  Christ,  in 
his  example  and  precepts,  teaches  us  to  be  patient. 

It  is  a  good  touchstone  for  a  man  to  try  his  own 
heart  by,  whether  he  likes  all  parts  of  the  Bible : 
whether  he  wishes  any  part  altered.  There  must  be 
something  amiss  if  we  do  not  like  to  take  the  whole. 
Some  people,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  difficulties,  will  set 
aside  many  parts  of  Scripture.  This  truth  is  repeated 
by  three  evangelists,  because  it  should  not  be  set  aside. 
Still,  though  it  is  thus  recorded,  the  empty,  degraded, 
heart  of  man  will  grasp  the  world,  till  a  Divine  breath 
has  been  breathed  into  it.  A  sincere  Christian  will 
say,  I  entirely  approve  the  rule ;  but,  at  the  same  time, 
I  condemn  myself;  for  I  have  been  trembling  lest  I 
should  have  been  deceiving  myself;  I  feel  how  dis- 
posed I  am  to  shun  the  cross. 

Are  you  a  soldier,  really  fighting  the  battles  within, 
as  well  as  without  ?  Then  you  have  much  to  do,  but 
nothing  to  fear.  Christ  looks  at  the  principle :  there 
must  be  that:  but  "he  will  not  break  the  bruised  reed, 
nor  quench  the  smoking  flax."  If  a  soldier  were 
hearty  in  his  desire  to  fight,  would  his  general  cast  him 
off  when  prevented  by  sickness?  Thanks  be  to  God, 
He  is  not  a  hard  master.  Aim  at  the  greatest  things 
in  Christ^s  strength,  and  you  shall  obtain  more  than  you 
expect.    When  the  battle  is  the  hottest,  look  up  to  your 


THE  cRogs.  215 

great  Captain.  Be  not  discouraged  at  what  flesh  and 
blood  may  suggest,  but  say,  '*  In  God  I  have  put  my 
trust:  I  will  not  fear  what  flesh  can  do  unto  me." 
Psa.  Ivi.  4. 

If  a  man  is  willing  to  take  up  his  cross — if  he  is 
ready  to  set  lightly  by,  and  consider  as  secondary,  the 
things  of  this  life  rather  than  deny  Christ,  or  give  up 
one  truth  of  the  Gospel,  he  shall  be  Christ's  disciple. 
If  he  gives  up  the  present  for  the  eternal,  he  will  lay 
out  his  talent  to  the  best  interest.  God  demands  no- 
thing of  a  Christian  but  with  a  design  to  give  him 
something  better.  "  He  shall  receive  manifold  more 
in  this  present  time,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life  ever- 
lasting." For,  "  Whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose 
it :  but  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake,  the 
same  shall  save  it."  While  a  man  seems  to  give  up, 
and  lose  every  thing,  for  a  moment,  for  Christ's  sake, 
he  gains  heaven  and  eternity  in  the  end.  What  is  the 
present  life  ?  It  is  but  a  dream !  Shall  I  attempt  to 
balance  it  against  that  which  is  to  come  ?  If  any  man 
is  threatened  with  persecution  for  Christ's  sake,  let  him 
remember,  that  Christ  will  not  suffer  any  one  to  be  a 
loser  for  his  sake.  The  husbandman,  is  not  throwing 
his  grain  away,  when  he  casts  it  into  the  ground,  and  it 
seems  to  die.  He  shall  have  it  again  with  interest.  If 
a  man  loses  his  life,  says  Christ,  "  for  my  sake,  he  shall 
find  it:"  he  shall  find  a  life  worth  a  thousand,  in  the' 
benefits  of  my  salvation,  and  eternal  life.  No  man  has 
such  true  ambition  as  a  Christian :  no  man  puts  out  his 
property  to  such  good  interest.  Yet  no  man  will  adopt 
the  sentiment  of  the  text,  but  he  in  whose  heart  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwells. 

If  this  is  the  case,  do  you  not  see  how  those  persons 
are  deceived  who  say,  It  is  enough  to  have  a  sound 
creed !     It  is  a  sad  fallacy  to  suppose  that  Christianity 


216  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

consists  in  merely  having  right  and  clear  views  of 
truth.  Whereas,  it  appeals  to  the  heart,  to  the  princi- 
ple. A  dead  man  may  have  a  perfect  form,  but  he  has 
lost  the  animating  principle  of  life.  Some  men  will 
hear  the  truth,  acknowledge  the  truth,  and  say,  Hai], 
Master  !  and  yet  remain  under  the  influence  of  sin  and 
Satan. 

Some  take  up  the  subject  doctrinally :  and  say, 
"  Being  justified  by  faith,"  we  have  nothing  more  to 
do.  But,  is  there  nothing  to  do  in  order  to  evidence 
this  faith  ?  What !  can  the  text  mean,  Christ  has  borne 
the  cross  for  me ;  and  therefore  I  need  not  take  up  my 
cross ! — I  believe  there  is  more  dishonesty  in  this,  than 
such  persons  are  apt  to  believe.  It  seems  impossible 
that  a  man  can  read  through  the  Scriptures,  and  not 
see  that  while  a  Christian  has  the  cross  for  his  object, 
he  has  the  sceptre  for  his  government.  He  is  to  bring 
forth  fruit.  Many  volumes  have  been  written  upon 
casuistry  ;  but  the  best  casuist  is  an  upright  heart.  It 
is  the  existence  of  evil  lusts  and  passions  that  make 
men  call  for  casuists.  There  cannot  be  too  much 
honor  put  on  the  doctrine  of  faith  in  Christ :  but  re- 
member, it  is  Christ  himself  who  has  said  in  the  text, 
"  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and  come  after 
me,  cannot  be  my  disciple  :"  and  a  religion  short  of  this 
is  not  the  religion  of  Christ.  Let  us  call  no  man 
master,  while  the  Master  himself  has  thus  plainly 
spoken. 

A  wise  apocryphal  writer  says,  "  My  son,  if  thou  wilt 
serve  the  Lord,  prepare  thy  soul  for  temptation."  St. 
Peter  expresses  the  same  idea  in  other  words :  "  Be- 
loved, think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial 
which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange  thing  hap- 
pened unto  you."  I  would  therefore  ^say  to  young 
Christians,  Be  prepared ;   for  there  will  be  an  attack. 


THE    CROSS.  217 

I  do  not  say  that  you  should  be  discouraged,  but  pre- 
pared :  for  I  can  tell  you,  and  experience  has  proved 
it,  that  the  yoke  of  Christ  is  easy.  A  supply  of  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  is  promised  to  the  true  disciple; 
and  Christ  enables  him  to  find  his  yoke  far  more  easy 
than  Satan's.  With  Christ's  yoke,  we  may  sleep  se- 
curely. The  consolations  of  God  are  not  small ;  and 
when  we  come  to  die,  death  will  be  gain. 

To  elder  Christians  let  me  say :  You  need  not  that  I 
should  insist  on  the  truth  of  this  declaration.  You  have 
an  evidence  in  your  own  breast.  "  Let  this  mind  be 
in  you  which  was  also  in  Jesus  Christ."  Consider,  if 
there  is  no  cross  there  will  be  no  crown :  therefore, 
take  it  up  cheerfully.  You  are  coming,  this  day,  to  the 
table  of  the  Lord,  that  you  may  receive  strength  to  go 
through  your  work  in  the  week.  A  martyr,  who  was 
solicited  to  act  unworthily,  simply  replied,  "  I  am  a 
Christian;  I  am  a  Christian  !" — That  is  enough.  Men 
may  object  against  your  principles  ;  for  how  widely  do 
the  maxims  of  Christ  differ  from  the  maxims  of  the 
world !  and,  in  proportion  as  we  are  Christ's  disciples, 
we  shall  observe  the  one,  and  contemn  the  other.  But 
consider  the  sanction  given  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
cross  by  Christ  himself!  How  can  you  expect  to  meet 
the  objections  of  a  blind  world?  Much  less,  can  you 
meet  their  taste.  God,  himself,  when  he  came  down 
and  assumed  our  nature,  could  not  please  the  world; 
nor  will  the  Church,  if  she  grows  like  him.  The  Chris- 
tian's business  is  to  please  his  Master.  Look  at  the 
woman  with  the  box  of  ointment :  her  heart  was  sound 
and  entire ;  but  she  gave  offence.  Our  Lord  took  up 
her  case  and  said,  "  Let  her  alone ;  why  trouble  ye 
her  ?  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  on  me  ....  She 
hath  done  what  she  could :  she  is  come  aforehand  to 
anoint  my  body  to  the  burying.     Verily  I  say  unto 

10 


218  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

you,  Wheresoever  this  Gospel  shall  be  preached 
throughout  the  whole  world,  this  also  that  she  hath 
done  shall  be  spoken  of  for  a  memorial  of  her."  Mark 
xiv.  6 — 9. 


VICTORY  ACHIEVED  BY  CHRIST'S  DEATH. 

Therefore  will  I  divide  him  a  portion  with  the  great,  and  he  shall  divide 
the  spoil  with  the  strong. — Is  a.  liii.  12.  [1807.] 

There  can  be  no  doubt  among  Christians  as  to  the 
application  of  this  Scripture  to  Christ.  We  see  in  him 
"  a  Man  of  Sorrows,"  and  yet  one  who  has  obtained 
the  greatest  victory  and  conquest.  Respecting  this 
point,  we  are  not  likely  to  say,  "  I  pray  thee,  of  whom 
speaketh  the  prophet  this  1  of  himself,  or  of  some  other 
man  ?"  If  there  is  any  difficulty  in  the  text,  let  us  re- 
member that  we  must  never  attempt  to  reason  about 
Divine  truths.  There  may  be  important  reasons  that 
we  are  not  able  to  comprehend.  We  must  bow  to 
truth  :  but  truth  will  never  bow  to  us. 

I  shall  take  up  the  subject  as  it  appears  in  its  differ- 
ent aspects. 

1st.  Let  us  consider  the  death  of  Christ  as  to  its  ap- 
pointment of  God.  "  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise 
him  ;  he  hath  put  him  to  grief."  Now  if  we  are  in  a 
right  state  of  mind,  we  shall  only  ask  this — Has  God 
appointed  that  Christ  should  become  a  sacrifice  for  us, 
or  not  ?     If  he  has  spoken,  that  is  enough. 

In  the  beginning  God  appointed  sacrifices  :  that  was 
enough.  He  appointed  Noah  to  build  an  ark :  that 
was  enough.  He  commanded  Moses  to  set  up  a  ser- 
pent of  brass  upon  a  pole,  and  by  Moses  he  preached 


VICTORY    ACHIEVED    BY    CIIRIST'>^,    DEATH.  219 

to  the  Israelites,  concerning  the  way  they  were  to  be 
healed  by  looking  at  the  brazen  serpent :  that  was 
enough.  Because  it  was  God's  ordinance,  it  became 
efficient  for  the  purpose.  Thus  it  was  said  to  Naaman, 
*'  Go,  and  wash  in  Jordan  seven  times,  and  thy  flesh 
shall  come  again  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  clean:" 
this  was  the  appointment  of  God  ;  and  it  was  enough. 
There  may  be  infinite  reasons  for  things,  which  we 
neither  know  nor  can  comprehend. 

2ndly.  Let  us  look  at  the  subject,  with  regard  to  the 
identity  of  God^s  proposal  of  salvation.  This  was  not 
an  incidental  thing,  but  it  was  promised  in  paradise 
when  man  fell.  The  .same  dispensation  of  recovery 
was  made  there,  as  I  have  to  preach  to  you  to-day. 
All  the  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  under  the  law  set 
forth  the  very  same  plan.  We  have  to-day,  in  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  a  picture  of  Christ's 
atoning  sacrifice. 

Srdly.  We'  have  the  express  declaration  of  God  to 
this  truth,  viade  by  his  own  mouth,  by  his  word,  and  by 
his  ministers.  "  Behold,"  says  Christ,  "  we  go  up  to 
Jerusalem  ;  and  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  delivered 
unto  the  chief  priests,  and  unto  the  scribes;  and  they- 
shall  condemn  him  to  death ;  and  shall  deliver  him  to 
the  Gentiles :  and  thev  shall  mock  him,  and  shall 
scourge  him,  and  shall  spit  upon  him,  and  shall  kill 
him  :  and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again."  Mark  x. 
83,  34. 

Peter  rejected  the  idea  of  this,  till  the  Spirit  came 
and  taught  him  its  necessit}^  :  after  which  he  received 
the  doctrine,  and  preached  it  boldly.  How  did  St. 
Paul  triumph  in  the  cross  of  Christ  as  the  power  of 
God,  and  the  w^isdom  of  God  ! 

4thly.  We  learn  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  sinner's 
acceptance  of  this  truth,  in  order  that  he  may  be  saved. 


220  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Men  must  receive  it,  or  perish.  "  He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  Hte  :  and  he  that  believeth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him."  Therefore  said  Christ,  "  Go  ye  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature ;" 
and  leave  the  event  with  me.  "  He  that  believeth,  and 
is  baptized,  shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that  believeth  not, 
shall  be  damned."  Mark  xvi.  16.  We  see  therefore  the 
necessity  there  is  for  accepting  the  Gospel.  Man's 
eternal  salvation  is  at  stake  on  this  alternative. 

5thly.  We  may  notice  the  actual  seal  that  God  hath 
setto  his  own  truth  concerning  the  way  of  salvation. 
It  is  in  this  way  only,  namely,  by  faith  in  a  crucified 
Saviour,  that  God  divides  the  spoil  with  the  strong. 
He  promises  to  the  Messiah,  "  he  shall  see  his  seed  ;  he 
shall  prolong  his  days,  and  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord 
shall  prosper  in  his  hand.  He  shall  see  of  the  travail 
of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied  :  by  his  knowledge 
shall  my  righteous  servant  justify  many*;  for  he  shall 
bear  their  iniquities.  Therefore  w^ill  I  divide  him  a 
portion  with  the  great,  and  he  shall  divide  the  spoil 
with  the  stroncr."  When  should  these  thinars  take 
place  ?  When  he  "  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death  ; 
and  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors,  and  bare  the 
sin  of  many,  and  made  intercession  for  the  trans- 
gressors.'' 

6thly.  Consider  the  allusion  here  made  to  the  strong 
dividing  the  spoil.  Compare  this  with  Luke  xi.  21,22. 
Our  Saviour  had  been  casting  out  devils :  "  But  some 
of  them  said,  He  casteth  out  devils  through  Beelzebub 
the  chief  of  the  devils.  But  he,  knowing  their  thoughts, 
said  unto  them.  Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself 
is  brought  to  desolation  ;  and  a  house  divided  against 
itself,  falleth :  and  if  Satan  also  be  divided  against 
himself,  how  shall  his  kingdom  stand  ?  .  .  .  .  When  a 


VICTORY    ACHIEVED    BY    CHRISt's    DEATH.  221 

strong  man  armed  keepeth  his  palace,  his  goods  are  in 
peace :  but  when  a  stronger  than  he  shall  come  upon 
him,  and  overcome  him,  he  taketh  from  him  all  his 
armor  wherein  he  trusted,  and  divideth  his  spoils."  Is 
there  need  of  argument  to  show  that  Satan  is  leading 
thousands  of  souls  captive  at  his  will ;  great  men, 
learned  men  ;  sometimes  even  such  as  are  called  men 
of  virtue  ?  What  a  state  of  captivity  do  we  see  !  what 
blindness  !  Men  are  tied  and  bound  by  one  chain  or 
another  !  A  man  cannot  look  into  his  own  breast — if 
he  be  an  enlightened  man — without  crying  out,  "  Oh 
wretched  man  that  I  am  !  Who  shall  deliver  me.  from 
the  body  of  this  death?"  St.  Matthew  gives  our 
Saviour's  words  thus  :  "  Or  else  how  can  one  enter  into 
a  strong  man's  house,  and  spoil  his  goods,  except  he 
first  bind  the  strong  man  ?  and  then  he  will  spoil  his 
house." 

History,  as  well  as  Scripture,  proves  that,  much  as 
man  prides  himself  on  being  a  rational  creature,  he  is 
nevertheless  a  captive.  So  St.  Paul  speaks  to  Timothy: 
"  And  that  they  may  recover  themselves  out  of  the 
snare  of  the  devil  who  are  taken  captive  by  him  at  his 
will."  What  are  the  blandishments  of  the  world, 
pleasure,  wealth,  fame,  but  so  many  fetters  by  which 
man  is  bound,  as  with  chains  of  iron  ? 

It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  hear  the  captive  boast 
of  his  freedom.  "We  were  never  in  bondage  to  any 
man,"  said  the  Jews.  But  our  Lord  replied,  '*  He  that 
committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  sin."  Every  man  is  a 
slave  till  Christ  has  set  him  free,  by  setting  up  his 
kingdom  in  his  heart.  What  has  man  ever  invented, 
with  all  his  wisdom,  that  can  emancipate  the  slave  of 
sin? 

Christ  delivers  his  people  by  price,  and  by  power. 
"He  was    wounded   for   our   transcrressions,   he   was 


222  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

bruised  for  our  iniquities :  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are 
healed/'  And  when  the  price  was  paid,  and  he  became 
a  ransom  for  many,  he  spake  as  it  might  be  expected 
he  would  speak — "  It  is  finished."  He  then  manifested, 
his  power :  he  burst  the  bonds  of  death,  and  rose  tri- 
umphant over  the  grave. 

Man  is  such  a  captive  that  not  only  Satan  enslaves 
him,  but  also  the  corruptions  of  his  own  heart  keep  him 
tied  and  bound,  as  with  chains.  He  stands  in  a  state 
of  thraldom.  Even  life,  fond  as  men  are  of  it,  yet  from 
its  perils,  and  dangers,  and  snares,  it  keeps  a  man  under 
a  sense  of  slavery.  The  fear  of  death  holds  him  captive. 
Heb.  ii.  15. 

The  god  of  this  world  must  be  cast  out  from  his 
usurped  dominion.  He  has  made  the  sinner's  heart 
Hke  that  of  leviathan,  spoken  of  in  the  book  of  Job : 
"  His  heart  is  as  firm  as  a  stone."  While  the  case 
remains  thus,  nothing  can  be  done  for  him.  Wherever 
Satan  reigns  and  rules,  there  is  his  kingdom.  A  man 
may  talk  of  freedom,  while  he  is  a  slave :  but  a  man's 
talking  of  riches  will  not  make  him  rich.  I  repeat, 
Wherever  Satan  reigns  and  rules,  there  is  his  kingdom. 
Let  us  abide  by  this.  Let  us  take  care  we  do  not  stop 
at  the  name,  the  mere  shadow  and  form  of  Christianity, 
instead  of  the  substance.  A  principle  must  be  fixed 
within ;  and  then  it  will  show  itself  in  the  fruits  of 
righteousness. 

Take  the  case  of  your  ow^n  children.  Can  you  help 
them  when  they  are  children  of  Belial  ;  when  Satan 
rules  in  their  hearts,  and  leads  them  captive ;  while 
they  are  wandering  like  the  prodigal,  and  desiring  to 
be  fed  with  husks  ?  You  can  do  nothing;  for  them  till 
they  have  a  disposition  to  return  to  a  right  and  teach- 
able spirit.     The  case  is  the  same  with  your  own  souls. 


VICTORY    ACHIEVED    BY    CHRIST's    DEATH.  223 

You  must  return  to  God:  you  must  throw  off  Satan's 
yoke :  you  must  come  to  Christ  and  submit  to  his 
sceptre :  you  must  acknowledge  his  power  to  deliver 
you  from  your  bondage  to  sin  and  Satan ;  and  from 
the  condemnation  of  the  law.     Rom.  viii.  1. 

The  miserable  subterfuges  of  philosophers  and  poets 
show  that  there  was  no  release,  or  relief,  till  One  came 
from  above.  He  that  redeemed  man  can  alone  deliver 
him.  He  can  set  him  free  from  the  power  of  Satan, 
the  power  of  sin,  and  the  power  of  death.  Man  needs 
One  to  bring  him  back  to  his  Father :  he  needs  One  to 
make  reconciliation.  And  he  that  feels  not  his  need 
of  such  a  Deliverer,  is  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sins." 
•To  him  that  does  feel  it,  and  asks  after  the  Deliverer, 
the  Bible  points  him  out.  "  He  shall  divide  the  spoil 
with  the  strong."  "  If  the  Son  therefore  shall  make  you 
free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed."  The  disorder  of  human 
nature  is  much  worse  than  we  suppose,  and  the  Remedy 
is  much  greater. 

You  would  be  glad  to  hear  of  the  mighty  spoiler, 
who  is  liow  conquering  in  the  world,  being  convinced 
of  hi-s  sins.  But  he  is  fast  bound.  You  will  say,  Is 
the  case  then  altogether  desperate  ?  *^  By  no  means — 
while  the  text  remains  a  truth,  that  Christ  shall  "di- 
vide the  spoil  with  the  strong,"  whoever  is  enabled,  by 
faith,  to  take  hold  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  shall 
be  too  strong  for  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 
"  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even 
our  faith."  Here  we  see  the  actual  effects  of  Christ's 
death. 

Men  have  been  puzzled,  even  from  the  earliest  ages 
of  Christianity,  to  account  for  the  effects  which  have 
taken  place  under  its  influence.  But  they  are  pro- 
duced by  that  mighty  power  of  God  who  raised  up 
Christ  from  the  dead,  and  not  through  any  minister's 


224  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

persuasion  :  not  from  following  a  sect ;  not  from  the 
thunder  and  earthquake  of  legal  threatenings,  but  the 
"still  small  voice"  of  the  Gospel.  This  is  far  from 
being  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament  only :  the 
whole  Bible  speaks  the  same.  See  the  voice  of  pro- 
phecy, Isa.  Ixi.  1.  The  Gospel  is  the  voice  of  Christ  to 
the  thirsty,  the  needy,  the  captive  ;  saying,  "  Come  to 
me :"  "  Learn  of  me  !"  There  is  the  mighty  Spirit, 
who  takes  possession  of  the  heart ;  the  promise  of 
Christ  to  his  Church.     And  thus  the  spoil  is  divided. 

Let  us  conclude  by  bringing  this  matter  home  to  our 
own  hearts ;  for  every  doctrine  has  its  corresponding 
duties  :  every  privilege  has  its  corresponding  effect. 

1st.  We  see  every  thing  turns  on  this  point — That 
God  gave  his  Son  for  us,  who  hath  poured  out  his  soul 
unto  death.  Now,  says  Christ,  "  If  any  man  will  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  me."  You  must  come  in  the  same  self- 
denying  way  which  I  have  set  before  you  as  an  ex- 
ample. But  nature  rages  at  this  :  we  abhor  the  vale 
of  tears :  Golgotha  shocks  us :  a  crucified  Saviour 
always  was  a  stumbling-block.  Still,  the  cup  is  held 
out  for  us  to  drink. 

2ndly.  Let  us  remember  our  privileges.  It  is  not  by 
might  nor  by  power,  but  by  quietness  and  confidence 
that  is  to  be  our  strength.  Thus  we  shall  be  enabled 
to  do  the  whole  will  of  God.  "  Surely  shall  one  say,  In 
the  Lord  have  I  righteousness  and  strength."  The 
real  witness  to  this  truth  is  the  man  of  faith  and  love. 
As  to  Antinomians  and  hypocrites,  the  difference  is  as 
great  as  between  brass  and  gold  !  The  exertion  of 
human  power  pleases  our  vanity  :  but  to  be  nothing, — 
to  be  assured  that  whatever  is  the  measure  of  the 
stature  to  which  any  Christian  attains,^it  is  furnished 
out  of  the  fulness  of  Christ, — this  was  what  St.  Paul 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  225 

knew,  and  felt,  when  he  said,  "  We  preach  Christ  cru- 
cified, unto  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the 
Greeks  foohshness ;  but  unto  them  which  are  called, 
both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God,  and 
the  wisdom  of  God."  1  Cor.  ii.  23,  24.  That  is,  we 
preach  the  whole  priestly  and  kingly  work  of  Christ. 
Every  fatal  error  is  an  error  of  the  heart.  "We  will 
not  have  this  man  to  reign  over  us." 

Let  us  this  day  approach  the  table  of  the  Lord,  pray- 
ing that  every  imagination  may  be  cast  down  which 
opposes  itself  to  the  rule  of  Christ  in  our  hearts,  and 
every  thought  be  brought  into  obedience  to  his  death  ; 
receiving  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  with  the  simplicity 
of  faith,  and  looking  to  Christ  as  the  precious  Corner- 
stone, on  which  we  may  safely  build  for  eternity.  That 
this  may  be  your  happy  case,  and  mine,  God  of  his  in- 
finite mercy  grant,  for  Christ's  sake  ! 


MARY  AT  THE  SEPULCHRE. 

But  Mary  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping :  and  as  she  wept,  she 
stooped  down  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre. — John  xx.  11.    [1807.] 

God  has  not  only  given  us  doctrines  and  precepts 
in  his  Word,  but,  in  condescension  to  our  weakness, 
has  illustrated  these  doctrines,  and  exemplified  these 
precepts,  by  facts.  For  instance,  we  fead  of  "faith 
which  worketh  by  love,"  but  in  the  history  before  us 
we  may  see  the  thing  exemplified.  I  need  no  picture 
of  Mary  Magdalene,  or  any  other  saint ;  I  wont  no 
aid  to  my  conceptions  from  any  thing  studied  by  an 
artist ;  the  life  is  before  me  :  I  see  the  principle  itself, 
actually  and  visibly  in  exercise.     We  have  hear  a  sol- 

10* 


226  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

itary  character  well  worthy  our  consideration.  She 
had  much  forgiven,  and  our  Lord  declares  she  loved 
much  ;  we  find  her  keeping  close  to  Jesus,  seeming  to 
say  with  Ruth — "  Where  thou  goest,  I  will  go."  Let 
us  look  further  into  this  subject,  and  endeavor  to 
draw  instruction  from  it. 

I  shall  from  this  passage,  discourse  only  on  one  prop- 
osition ;  and,  afterwards,  make  two  remarks  on  that 
proposition.     The  proposition  is,  that  God  will  put 

SINGULAR  HONOR  UPON  SOLITARY  FAITH. 

Mary  Magdalene  not  only  attended  constantly  on 
our  Lord's  teaching,  but  she  also  ministered  to  him  of 
her  substance.  She  followed  him  to  the  cross  :  she 
watched  him  there  ;  and,  as  St.  Luke  informs  us.  re- 
turned after  his  crucifixion  and  burial,  and  prepared 
spices  and  ointments,  intending  to  embalm  the  body  of 
Jesus.  She  waited  through  the  Sabbath,  no  doubt 
with  her  heart  full ;  and,  early,  while  it  was  yet  dark, 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  she  rose  and  directed  her 
steps  to  his  grave :  proving  the  truth  of  those  words, 
"  Where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also." 
Men  need  not  tell  us  what  it  is  to  love  ;  their  conduct 
will  demonstrate  it.  Such  was  the  strength  of  Mary's 
affection,  that  it  bore  her  above  all  fear.  The  sepul- 
chres of  the  Jews  w^ere  generally  situated  at  some 
distance  from  the  city.  Regardless,  however,  of  the 
danger  to  which  she  exposed  herself,  she  went  deter- 
minedly forth,  before  it  was  light — to  a  place  partic- 
ularly gloomy,-  to  a  sepulchre  guarded  by  Roman  sol- 
diers— that  she  might  find,  in  the  place  of  the  dead, 
the  body  of  her  Lord.  Finding  the  stone  taken  away 
from  the  sepulchre,  and  the  body  of  Jesus  not  there, 
she  ran  to  tell  his  disciples;  "and  saith  unto  them, 
They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre, 
and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him."     The 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  227 

disciples  come,  and  examine  the  sepulchre,  and  one  of 
them  is  convinced  of  the  fact  of  our  Lord's  resurrec- 
tion ;  ver.  8.  Peter  seems  at  first  to  have  doubted : 
"  for  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  Scripture,  that  he  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead.  Then  the  disciples  went 
away  again  unto  their  own  home."  Moved  by  stronger 
affection,  Mary  remains  behind — fixed,  as  it  were,  to 
the  spot  where  He  whom  her  soul  loved  had  lain.  "  Mary 
stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping :  and  as  she 
wept,  she  stooped  down,  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre." 
As  though  she  had  said,  He  whom  my  soul  loveth  is 
crucified  ;  I  cannot  go  from  the  place  where  they  laid 
him.  The  disciples  may  go  home,  and  seek  comfort 
and  relief  from  their  sorrow  ;  but,  as  for  me,  the  very 
grave  of  my  Lord  is  dear  to  me :  and  since  I  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  him,  here  would  I  stand 
weeping,  regardless  of  all  besides.  Little  indeed  did 
she  think  how  near  her  beloved  Master  was  !  So  near, 
that  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  "  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? 
Whom  seekest  thou  ?  She,  supposing  him  to  be  the 
gardener,  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  him 
hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and  I  will  take 
him  away.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  She  turned 
herself,  and  saith  unto  him,  Rabboni,  which  is  to  say, 
Master." 

This  is  a  fine  and  exquisitely  drawn  picture  of  the 
feelings  and  frame  of  Mary's  mind.     And  I  am  now  to 

show  that  SINGULAR  HONOR   IS  RESERVED    FOR    SOLITARY 
FAITH. 

Observe,  when  Mary  came  to  the  sepulchre,  the 
stone  that  had  closed  the  mouth  of  it  was  "  taken  away." 
Thus,  there  was  one  impediment  removed,  in  order  to 
her  entering.  My  dear  hearers,  learn  hence,  not  to 
hesitate  because  of  difficulties  :  when  God  sets  before 
you  the  way  of  life,  let  nothing  discourage  or  daunt  you. 


228  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Go  on  ;  depend  upon  it,  he  will  go  before  you,  and 
make  your  way  plain.  The  stone  you  see  standing  in 
the  way,  shall  be  removed.  God  is  equally  powerful  to 
overthrow  or  to  remove  obstacles.  "  He  openeth  and 
no  man  shutteth :  and  shutteth  and  no  man  open-- 
eth."  I  can  do  nothing,  said  Balaam,  to  the  King  of 
the  Moabites ;  you  sent  for  me  to  curse  this  people, 
but  God  hath  blessed  them.  He  has  opened  the  way, 
and  I  cannot  close  it  up.  "  The  shout  of  a  king  is 
among  them  :"  they  must  prosper,  and  "  I  cannot  re- 
verse it." 

The  first  impediment  being  removed,  *'  she  runneth 
and  Cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and  to  the  other  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved,  and  saith  unto  them.  They  have 
taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we 
know  not  where  they  have  laid  him."  Thus  was 
Mary  honored  in  being  the  first  to  convey  to  the 
disciples  the  fact  of  our  Lord's  resurrection.  The 
gracious  heart  may  mistake  the  appearance  of  things  ; 
for  so  did  Mary.  Forgetting  the  prophecy  which  said 
that  Jesus  should  rise  on  the  third  day,  and  missing 
him  from  the  place  where  he  had  been  laid,  she  runs 
and  says,  "  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  !"  But, 
though  "  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  joy  cometh 
in  the  morning." 

Honor  was  again  put  upon  Mary  by  the  salutation 
of  the  angelic  messengers.  While  remaining  alone, 
weeping,  (after  the  disciples  were  gone  away,)  "she 
stooped  down,  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre,  and  seeth 
two  angels  in  white  sitting,  the  one  at  the  head,  and 
the  other  at  the  feet  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain." 
For  "  are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to 
minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation  ?" — 
Afterwards,  as  we  learn  from  the  14th  verse,  she  was 
further  honored  by  having  the  first  sight  of,  and  inter- 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  229 

view  with,  our  Lord  himself,  after  his  resurrection. 
Saint  Mark  also  informs  us  that,  "  when  Jesus  was 
risen  early  the  first  day  of  the  week,  he  appeared  first 
to  Mary  Magdalene."  What  his  ear,  and  his  eye,  alone 
had  seen  and  heard,  he  would  have  recorded  to  the  end 
of  the  world.  Thus  she  is  exhibited  to  us  as  a  memorial 
of  the  peculiar  loving-kindness  of  God:  and  happy  are 
they  who,  possessing  her  simple  faith,  and  fervent  love, 
are  enjoying  special  manifestations,  and  conspicuous 
marks,  of  the  Divine  favor  !  For,  what  are  all  the 
splendid  exhibitions  which  the  world  presents  to  our 
attention  ?  What  are  its  monuments  compared  with 
this  ?  What  are  all  the  grand  sights,  either  of  ingenuity 
or  beauty,  after  which  people  so  eagerly  run  ?  Show 
nae  such  a  sight  as  Mary  standing,  weeping,  at  the 
sepulchre !  Such  a  monument  as  this  of  humility, 
patience,  love,  and  faith,  set  up  in  the  Christian  Church, 
infinitely  surpasses,  in  real  grandeur,  and  worth,  all  the 
most  splendid  monuments  of  worldly  greatness  and 
distinction. 

You  see  then,  my  dear  hearers,  that  God  will  put 
singular  honor  upon  solitary  faith — upon  retiring  hu- 
mility— upon  sincere  and  simple  manifestations  of  love 
to  the  Saviour,  flowing  from  a  penitent  and  believing 
heart.  Therefore  let  man  put  his  trust  in  God,  however 
deserted  and  desolate  he  may  be  ;  yea,  though  he  be 
left  alone  "  as  a  sparrow  upon  the  house-top,"  yet  let 
him  not  give  way  to  dejection  ;  let  him  cast  his  burden 
upon  the  Lord.  Let  him  leave  God  to  open  his  way : 
let  him  make  his  difficulties  his  arguments  for  casting 
his  care  upon  him ;  and  he  may  depend  upon  it,  that 
he  who  has  promised  to  be  with  his  people  when  passing 
through  the  waters,  and  through  the  fire,  will  perform 
what  he  has  promised,  although  for  a  time  he  may 
seem  to  turn  his  face  away.     If  he  delay  his  appearing. 


230  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

the  disciple  must  still  believingl^y  stand  and  wait.  Mary, 
though  she  stooped  down  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre, 
saw  not  her  Lord ;  but  though  now  disappointed,  she 
shall  see  him.  Her  solitary  faith  shall  be  thus  honored  ; 
she  shall  have  the  first  personal  manifestation  after  his 
resurrection  ;  she  shall  be  the  first  witness  of  this  most 
important  and  illustrious  fact,  as  well  as  the  first  mes- 
senger of  it  to  his  disciples ;  and  she  shall  stand  as  a 
monument  to  all  succeeding  generations  of  the  blessed- 
ness of  those  who  put  their  trust  in  the  Lord. 

The  two  remarks  whicii  I  shall  make  upon  this  prop- 
osition, thus  opened,  are  these  :  we  should  learn  from 
the  passage  before  us, 

L  The  nature  of  Divine  grace  in. its  operation  on 
the  heart. 

2.  That  God  usually  matures,  and,  in  a  sense,  per- 
fects his  work  in  his  people  by  means  of  a  variety  of 
trials,  unto  the  appointed  triumphs  of  faith. 

\.  Let  us  learn  the  nature  of  Divine  grace,  or  the 
holy  influence  from  above  on  the  human  heart.  This 
Divine  and  holy  influence  not  only  enlightens  the  un- 
derstanding, so  that  a  person,  who  is  the  subject  of  it, 
learns  to  set  the  highest  value  upon  those  things  which 
once  appeared  to  him  to  possess  no  value  at  all :  but  it 
so  draws  the  will  and  affections,  yea,  the  whole  heart 
of  a  man,  that  he  seems  ready  to  say  with  the  Apostle, 
**  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord ;"  I  am  prepared 
to  sufter  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  to  account  them  as 
dross  that  I  may  win  Christ.  Such  a  determined  bent 
of  the  will  and  affections,  an  heart  thus  immovably 
fixed  upon  distant  objects,  brought  nigh  by  faith,  and 
which  a  man  feels  he  has  a  real  perception^  and  enjoy- 
ment of — all  this  is  properly  and  peculiarly  the  work 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  231 

of  Divine  grace.  Nature  never  did  and  never  will 
produce  any  thing  like  it :  it  is  something  which  is 
above  nature ;  it  is  a  holy,  heavenly,  and  powerfully 
operative,  though  a  mysterious,  principle. 

Does  any  one  present  ask.  How  can  God  work  upon 
my  spirit  ?  I  would  ask  such  an  one  in  return,  What 
is  spirit  ?  Do  you  know,  or  have  you  any  idea  what 
spirit  is  ?  But,  indeed,  all  metaphysical  and  philosophi- 
cal questions  on  such  subjects  are  mere  impertinence. 
Did  not  our  Lord,  when  discoursing  on  the  nature  of 
regeneration,  show  that  though  we  cannot  comprehend 
the  nature  or  philosophy  of  it,  still  it  is  the  effect  of  a 
great  and  mighty  agency  ?  You  cannot,  as  our  Lord 
said,  understand  concerning  the  winds,  "whence  they 
come  and  whither  they  go;"  but  you  can  see  their 
effects,  in  the  destruction  of  buildings,  in  the  uprooting 
of  trees,  in  the  calamities  of  shipwrecks  ;  so,  in  relation 
to  our  present  subject,  we  are  not  to  inquire  into  the 
hidden  mysteries,  and  causes,  and  modes  of  the  Divine 
operations  ;  but  we  are  to  attend  to  the  palpable  facts 
and  results  which  are,  from  time  to  time,  presented  to 
us.  Here  is  a  poor  woman,  once  under  the  power  of 
Satan,  bodily  as  well  as  spiritually, — yet  under  the  in- 
fluence of  Divine  grace,  you  behold  her  passing  through 
the  darkness,  and  defying  all  the  dangers  of  the  way, 
in  search  of  a  scorned  and  crucified  Saviour  ;  bringing 
with  her  spices  to  anoint  his  body,  in  order  to  mani- 
fest, to  the  utmost  of  her  power,  her  attachment  to  him 
whom,  though  crucified  and  scorned,  her  soul  loved. 
This  power  of  Divine  grace  is  seen  not  only  in  Mary 
Magdalene,  but  in  all  who  are  made  partakers  of  her 
spirit.  You  will  find  it,  through  a  gloomy  night,  not- 
withstanding all  difficulties  and  hazards,  bringing  its 
best  gifts  to  Christ,  and  setting  the  highest  value  on  the 
smallest  tokens  of  his  favor.    Divine  grace  will  always 


232  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

delight  in  the  place  of  the  Saviour's  presence  ;  his  foot 
has  trod  there  :  that  is  enough.  It  will  much  rather 
avoid  spectators  than  court  them.  Its  most  glorious 
conflicts  shine  brightest  when  no  eye  is  upon  it  but 
that  of  God  ;  its  sweetest  smile  is  in  solitude  ;  yea,  and 
when,  wrapped  in  the  gloom  of  affliction,  it  can  sing 
the  song  of  joy.  Amidst  bereavements,  and  under  de- 
sertion, it  will  say,  O  Lord,  thou  seest  and  thou  know- 
est  how  solitary,  how  desolate,  how  disconsolate  my 
heart  is  ;  and  how  incapable  I  am  of  comfort.  I  would 
fain  try  if  there  be  any  possibility  of  finding  "  Him 
whom  my  soul  loveth  ;"  I  would  look  and  look  again, 
and  wait,  till  it  shall  please  the  Father  of  mercies  and 
the  God  of  all  comfort  to  give  me,  if  it  were  only  a 
spark  of  light  and  comfort,  some  signal  of  his  favor, 
some  token  of  his  love  ;  which,  how  small  soever,  shall 
satisfy  me  more,  unspeakably  more,  than  the  increase 
of  the  worlding's  corn  and  wine  shall  satisfy  him. 

No  doubt  those  excellent  characters  who  in  times  of 
persecution  laid  down  their  lives  for  the  Gospel's  sake, 
proceeded  upon  this  very  principle.  It  was  Divine  grace 
in  exercise ;  the  spirit  of  patience,  the  spirit  of  hope, 
essentially  the  same  spirit  and  principle  of  faith  which 
influenced  Mary  when  she  sought  the  body  of  her 
Lord,  and  waited  at  the  sepulchre  while  it  was  yet 
dark.  Could  deserts  and  prisons  speak,  they  would 
bear  testimony  to  those  whose  language  was,  ''  Tell 
me  where  I  may  find  Him  whom  my  soul  loveth." 
When  banished,  when  shut  up  in  noxious  and  dark 
dungeons,  they  pined  away  their  lives, — now  scoffed 
at,  and  now  tormented, — they  were  supported  by  the 
same  gracious  influence  in  the  soul ;  nothing  could 
separate  them  from  communion  with  their  Lord :  no- 
thing short  of  this  could  yield  them  effectual  succor 
and  consolation. 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  233 

Now  this  is  Divine  grace  in  operation ;  this  is  God 
working  in  the  soul ;  this  is  the  exercise  of  a  principle 
implanted  there  by  himself.  The  possession  of  this 
marks  the  saint ;  it  is  the  operation  of  God  the  Holy 
Spirit.  This  is  the  vital,  the  real  part  of  religion ; 
without  this  there  is  no  habitual  intercourse  kept  up 
with  heaven.  See  1  John  i.  3.  "  Truly  our  fellow- 
ship is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ." 
Whatever  be  the  conviction  of  the  conscience,  or  the 
light  of  the  understanding,  without  this  principle,  a 
man's  heart  is  on  the  earth  ;  the  world  is  his  portion  : 
and  what  must  be  the  end  of  such  a  man  ? 

It  is,  no  doubt,  much  more  easy  to  discourse  upon 
this  subject  than  to  go  and  enter  into  the  practice  and 
experience  of  it,  than  to  maintain  an  intercourse  with 
God  by  secret  prayer,  to  exercise  submission  in  trials 
and  conflicts,  to  take  up  the  cross  daily  and  to  carry 
it,  and,  by  faith  and  patience,  to  be  a  follower  of  them 
who  through  faith  and  patience  now  inherit  the  prom- 
ises. I  repeat,  it  is  unspeakably  more  easy  to  speak 
upon  the  subject  than  to  proceed  experimentally  and 
practically  in  this  matter.  Nevertheless,  I  am  bound 
to  declare,  whether  I  refer  to  you,  my  dear  hearers,  or 
to  myself,  that  this  Divine  principle,  this  experimental 
and  practical  course  of  holiness,  this  heavenly  inter- 
course, must  be  yours  and  mine,  or  we  shall  finally 
lose  the  crown.  A  fair  profession  may  secure  the  rep- 
utation for  religion,  but  it  is  this  personal  experience 
and  exercise  of  it  that  can,  alone,  maintain  its  life  ;  nor 
can  these  do  it  without  the  constant  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  ;  which  must  be  earnestly  sought,  and 
carefully  cherished  in  the  heart.  Without  this  real 
essential  principle  of  heavenly  life,  this  principle  of 
grace  in  the  soul,  it  may  be  asked,  what  is  our  religion 
but  a  mere  form  ?     Let  me  beseech   you  ever  to  re- 


234  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

member,  that  it  is  God  himself  who  first  kindles  and 
raises  the  flame  of  vital  piety  in  the  believer's  breast, 
and  it  is  God  that  maintains  the  celestial  fire  on  the 
altar  of  the  penitent  heart.  It  is  God  who  will  meet 
the  exercise  of  this  principle  of  grace  and  faith  with 
his  blessing,  and  put  honor  upon  it,  because  it  is  a 
Divine  principle,  which,  as  I  have  already  shown,  will 
flourish  in  the  simple  mind  in  solitude  and  in  desertion. 
It  will  surmount  the  most  formidable  obstacles,  and 
overcome  the  most  powerful  enemies  that  may  obstruct 
its  progress. 

Be  not  discouraged,  then,  because  many  and  great 
impediments  lie  in  your  path.  Be  strong  in  the  Lord, 
and  iti  the  power  of  his  might :  commit  your  way  unto 
him,  and  he  will  make  your  way  perfect.  Seek  your 
Saviour,  and  your  Saviour  shall  prepare  your  path  be- 
fore you.  Thus  did  Mary,  and  she  found  her  strength 
perfected  in  weakness  ;  her  Lord  made  her  to  triumph 
over  every  trial  and  difficulty.  He  put  honor  upon 
her  solitary  faith;  and  he  has  crowned  her  not  only 
with  temporal  but  with  everlasting  honor  also. 

I  cannot  but  think  that  God  had  a  peculiar  design  in 
ordaining  the  record  of  facts  of  this  kind  in  the  Scrip- 
ture. It  is  in  the  weakness  and  feebleness  of  human 
nature  that  God  often  manifests  his  power.  Who  is  it 
that  we  find  first  at  the  sepulchre  ?  Is  it  the  sanguine 
Peter?  the  afTectionate  John  and  his  brother  James, 
the  sons  of  thunder?  No  !  it  was  a  solitary  woman  ! 
St.  Mark,  indeed,  records  another  Mary  who  accom- 
panied her ;  but  St.  John  seems  to  look  upon  Mary 
Mao;dalene  as  so  much  the  leader,  that  he  scarcely 
thinks  it  necessary  to  mention  the  other.  Satan  made 
an  attack  on  the  weaker  sex,  and  succeeded  fatally. 
Christ  seems  to  have  determined  to  m/ignify  his 
strength  and  grace  in  their  weakness :   and  has,  per- 


^ 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  235 

haps,  therefore  presented  us  (not  only  in  the  Bible,  but 
in  the  history  of  his  Church),  with  examples  of  women 
who  by  faith  "received  their  dead  raised  to  life  again  ;" 
and  of  others  who  were  "  tortured,  not  accepting  deliv- 
erance ;  that  they  might  obtain  a  better  resurrection." 
Grace  then  is  most  distinguished,  when  nature  comes 
least  to  its  aid. 

Nor  is  it  improper  to  allude  to  facts  of  our  own  day. 
Instances  might  be  brought  forward  in  which  God  has 
enabled  the  weaker  sex  to  stand  up  with  holy  resolu- 
tion, and  as  living  martyrs  to  glorify  his  strength  in 
their  weakness.  Let  us  admire  this  grace.  Let  wo- 
men particularly  notice  it,  and  remember  that  if  they 
have  the  Lord  for  their  helper,  they  need  not  fear  any 
thing.  If  he  offers  himself  to  them  as  their  strength, 
comforter,  and  salvation,  and  tells  them  that  liis  strength 
is  made  perfect  in  weakness,  let  them  not  only  ear- 
nestly seek,  but  confidently  expect  it.  Let  them  rely 
upon  it  in  extremities  ;  and  they  shall  assuredly  find, 
as  Mary  did  here,  that  God  will  honor  their  simple  and 
solitary  faith  with  singular  support.  It  was  his  good 
pleasure  that  this  gracious  woman  should  take  these 
painful  steps  to  the  sepulchre,  that  she  might  be  led, 
through  fears,  to  triumph ;  which  leads  me  to  remark, 

2.  That  God  usually  matures,  and,  in  a  sense,  per- 
fects his  ivork  in  his  people,  by  means  of  a  variety  of 
trials  unto  the  appointed  triumphs  of  faith ;  or,  in 
other  words,  it  is  the  way  of  the  Lord,  in  the  opera- 
tions of  his  grace,  to  proceed  from  obscurity  to  cer- 
tainty, in  leading  his  people  through  trials  unto  tri- 
umphs. 

And  here  let  me  here  observe,  that  we  are  not  un- 
like, in  this  respect,  to  the  king  of  old  who  desired  to 
learn  geometry  ;  but  who,  disliking  the  tedious  process 


236  ^  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

necessary  in  order  to  be  a  geometrician,  requested  to 
be  put  into  possession  of  the  science  by  a  shorter  and 
less  difficult  method.  But  he  was  told,  there  was  no 
royal  way  to  geometry.  So,  I  know  of  no  royal  way 
to  religion :  we  must  pass  through  the  process. 

"  The  way  the  Holy  Prophets  went," 

is  the  way  which  we  must  tread.  Martyrdom,  indeed, 
may  not  be  our  lot ;  but  tribulations  and  trials  certainly 
await  us.  They  are  the  ordained  means  for  our  puri- 
fication. We  cannot  enter  into  heaven  without  pass- 
ing through  the  furnace  which  is  necessary  to  refine 
us  from  our  dross.  Affliction  is  this  furnace.  But  let 
me  say  to  the  tried  and  afflicted  disciple,  Fear  not,  for 
when  thou  art  tried,  thou  shalt  "  come  forth  as  gold." 
The  heart  of  a  godly  man  may  mistake  appearances 
while  the  Lord  is  thus  working,  "sitting  as  the  purifier 
of  silver."  He  may  cry  out,  during  the  process,  as 
Jacob  did  of  old,  "  All  these  things  are  against  me!" 
when,  perhaps,  every  circumstance  may  be  in  his  fa- 
vor ;  for  it  is  certainly  true  that  "  all  things  work  to- 
gether for  good  to  them  that  love  God." 

Thus  it  was  with  her  of  whom  we  have  been  speak- 
ing. Mark  this  pious  woman  :  her  faith  was  strong  ;  her 
love  was  great ;  so  that  she  could  not  leave  the  tomb 
where  her  Lord  had  lain  ;  and  where  she  mourned 
his  absence,  saying.  "  They  have  taken  away  my 
Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him."  But 
did  she  do  well  thus  to  lament?  was  there  any  real 
cause  for  grief?  No,  verily  !  What  if  he  had  not 
risen  according  to  his  promise  ?  What  if  the  third  day 
had  passed  over,  and  the  body  of  Jesus  had  still  been 
found  in  the  sepulchre  ?  Then,  indeed,  she  might  have 
mourned,  and  all  the  disciples  might  have  mourned 
with  her ;  and  have  said,  What  a  sad  disappointment 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  237 

is  this  !  It  was  her  great  mercy  that  her  Lord  was  not 
there  ;  for  if  Christ  had  not  risen,  her  faith  had  been  in 
vain,  and  our  preaching  had  been  vain  also.  Still,  she 
could  but  write  bitter  things  against  herself:  "They 
have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they 
have  laid  him  !"  and  I  can  only  now  stand  at  his  grave 
and  weep  ;  and  look,  and  weep  again !  Thus  also  may 
it  be  with  a  godly  man.  He  may  stand  weeping,  and 
may  think  his  case  remediless,  that  all  things  are 
"  against  him."  But  this,  as  we  have  seen  already,  is 
the  appointed  process.  God  is  carrying  on  his  work 
all  this  while,  having  given  the  promise  that  the  morn- 
ing shall  succeed  the  night — that  the  stone  shall  be 
rolled  away,  and  that  the  light  shall  rise  unexpectedly, 
to  the  surprise  and  joy  of  his  soul. 

Conceive  of  a  traveller,  who  has  labored  through  a 
dark  and  dangerous  wav — regardins;  himself  as  sur- 
rounded  by  barrenness  and  desolation — thinking  that 
nothing  but  what  was  dreary  and  distressing  was  before 
him.  But,  as  soon  as  the  day  breaks,  and  the  sun  has 
risen  upon  the  earth,  and  shines  forth — instead  of  being 
in  the  miserable  state  which  his  fears  had  imagined,  he 
beholds,  with  astonishment  and  transport,  the  prospect 
unfolding  on  all  sides  :  splendid  mansions,  and  the  riches 
of  a  varied  and  fertile  scenery  presenting  before  him 
all  its  beauty  and  magnificence.  There  is  something 
very  like  this  in  the  progress  of  a  work  of  grace  upon 
the  heart,  where  the  night  is  succeeded  by  the  morn- 
ing ;  heaviness,  and  depression,  by  revival,  joy,  and 
exultation. 

Ah  !  ye  who,  instead  of  sitting,  like  Mary  Magda- 
lene, at  the  Redeemer's  sepulchre,  weeping,  and  waiting 
for  him — showing  that  her  heart  was  there,  though  the 
body  of  her  Lord  was  not — ye  who,  instead  of  meditat- 
ing on  such  a  subject  as  this,  or  giving  vent  to  feelings 


^ 


238  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

at  all  resembling  those  which  were  excited  in  the  breast 
of  this  woman  by  her  love  for  her  Lord — will  run  after 
every  foolish  silly  gewgaw  that  Satan  holds  up  to  entice 
3^ou  withal  ; — ye,  who  are  captivated  by  the  tinsel  of 
dress,  or  the  pride  of  rank  and  family — and  who  are 
wasting  that  invaluable  time,  of  which  you  will  soon 
have  to  render  a  solemn  account,  in  "  hearing,"  like 
the  Athenians,  "  some  new  thing  ;"  or  in  seeing  some 
new  personage,  or  in  telling  some  new  matter,  as  to 
w^hat  this  or  that  individual  has  done,  or  what  he  is 
going  to  do  ; — ye,  who  are  deceiving  yourselves  on  the 
brink  of  eternity,  seeking  happiness  where  it  cannot 
be  found — the  living  among  the  dead ; — I  ask,  What 
grounds  have  ye  to  expect  that  God  will  bring  the 
morning  after  the  night ;  that  he  will  send  consolation 
and  jo}'-  into  your  hearts,  which  have  departed  from  the 
fountain  of  purity  and  bliss  to  seek  satisfaction  in  the 
vain  conversation,  dissipating  amusements,  and  cor- 
rupting pleasures  of  the  world  ?  I  am  authorized  by 
the  word  of  God,  and  it  is  my  bounden  duty  to  declare, 
that  "all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and 
the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  not  of  the 
Father,  but  is  of  the  world."  I  am  authorized  to  say — 
*'  Woe  to  the  wicked  !  it  shall  be  ill  with  him :  for  the 
reward  of  his  hands  shall  be  given  him."  Yet  the 
same  authority  commands  me  to  say  to  the  righteous, 
"  It  shall  be  well  with  him."  God  is  watchins^  over  his 
affairs  :  he  directs  his  steps  :  he  goes  before  him  ;  he  is 
preparing  his  way :  he  is  leading  him  through  present 
trials  to  future  triumphs.  He  may  now  be  ''  sowing  in 
tears,"  but  he  shall  "  reap  in  joy." 

The  simple  and  sincere  inquirer  may,  indeed,  re'- 
semble  Mary  too  much  in  one  part  of  her  pursuit :  he 
may  mistake,  and  seek  for  the  living  amang  the  dead  ; 
but  his  mistake  shall  not  be  fatal.     His  soul  may  be  in 


MARY    AT    THE    SEPULCHRE.  239 

prison,  as  was  David's ;  but,  like  David,  he  is  a  "  pris- 
oner of  hope."  Let  him,  then,  Hft  up  his  head ;  he 
has  placed  himself  in  the  Lord's  hands  :  he  is  waiting 
till  the  Lord  shall  come  to  wipe  away  all  tears  from  his 
eyes  ;  and  who,  instead  of  suffering  any  more  darkness 
to  overtake  him,  shall  be  his  everlasting  light  and  his 
glory. 

Let  me  observe,  in  conclusion,  that  although  we,  by 
faith,  visit  the  sepulchre  of  our  Lord,  we  need  not  long 
continue  to  wait  there.  He  is  not  there,  but  is  risen. 
By  the  same  faith  let  us  follow  him  to  heaven.  And 
if  we  are  scorned  and  scoffed  at  bv  the  world,  because 
we  have  resolved  to  follow  Christ-^because  we  look 
to  him  as  our  life,  and  hope,  and  comfort — let  us  re- 
member that  he  was  scoffed  at  and  scorned  before  us. 
Behold  him  standing  before  Pilate  !  See  him  before 
Herod  and  his  men  of  war  !  Behold  him  set  at  nought 
and  spit  upon,  made  a  spectacle  to  angels  and  to  men ; 
and  talk  no  more  of  the  contempt  you  may  meet  with 
in  passing  through  this  world  to  heaven.  If  we  are  at 
any  time  depressed,  instead  of  lingering  at  the  sepulchre, 
and  weeping  there,  let  us  behold  him  now  I'isen,  standing 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  making  in- 
tercession for  us.  There  he  appears  as  our  Advocate 
and  Friend,  and  appoints  and  orders  all  things,  even 
the  most  severe  and,  almost,  overwhelming  trials,  for 
our  good.  Therefore,  "  Let  us  run  with  patience  the 
race  that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author 
and  finisher  of  our  faith  ;  who,  for  the  joy  that  was  set 
before  him,"  instead  of  shrinking  from  suffering,  "en- 
dured the  cross,  despising  the  shame."  He  wrought 
out  his  way  through  trial,  and  diiTiculty,  and  blood  ; 
that  he  might  be,  in  all  respects,  a  fit  High  Priest  for 
such  poor  miserable  sinners  as  we  are :  and  that  he 
might  be  able  to  say,  at  last,  to  all  his  true  followers, 


240  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
That  this  may  be  the  happy  case  of  every  one  of  you, 
may  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  grant  for  Christ's  sake ! 


CHRIST  APPEARING^  TO  MARY  MAGDALENE. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary,  She  turned  herself,  and  sakh  unto  him, 
Rabboni ;  which  is  to  say,  Master.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Touch  me 
not ;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father :  but  go  to  my  brethren, 
and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father ;  and 
to  my  God,  and  your  God.— John  xx.  16,  17.  [1793.] 

While  discoursing  lately  on  the  subject  of  our  Lord's 
resurrection — a  fact  foretold  by  prophecy  and  confirmed 
by  a  cloud  of  witnesses — we  have  seen  that  special 
honor  had  been  conferred  upon  Mary  Magdalene  by 
being  made  one  of  the  first  messengers  to  carry  to  the 
disciples  the  news  of  this  joyful  event.  We  have  seen 
this  gracious  woman  standing  weeping  at  the  sepulchre, 
inconsolable  at  the  loss  of  her  Lord  and  Saviour ;  let 
us  now  consider  her  joyful  meeting  with  her  Divine 
Master.  While  she  was  speaking,  as  she  supposed, 
with  the  gardener,  saying,  "  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne 
him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and  I  will 
take  him  away,  Jesus  saith  unto  her,"  with  such  an 
expression  as  convinced  her  who  he  was,  "  Mary.  She 
turned  herself,  and  saith  unto  him,  Rabboni ;  which  is 
to  say,  Master.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Touch  me  not." 
Here  may  seem  some  obscurity.  Why  say  this  to  her 
in  the  warmth  of  her  affection  ?  It  could  not  be  that 
he  objected  to  render  sensible  evidences  to  Mary  that 
his  body  was  really  raised,  for  this  he  granted,  not  long 


CHRIST    APPEARING    TO    MARY    MAGDALENE.         241 

after,  in  order  to  meet  the  unreasonable  demand  of 
unbelieving  Thomas  : — "  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and 
behold  my  hands ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and 
thrust  it  into  my  side  :  and  be  not  faithless  but  believ- 
ing." It  could  not,  therefore,  be  that  our  Saviour  was 
averse  to  grant  Mary  sensible  evidences  of  his  resur- 
rection :  but  it  is  as  if  he  had  said,  Mary,  in  so  critical 
a  moment  as  this,  touch  me  not :  you  are  now  surprised 
with  an  appearance  which  you  little  expected :  your 
heart  overflows  with  affection  and  gratitude,  and  you 
would  fain  detain  me :  but  give  not  way  to  anxiety : 
think  not  to  embrace,  and  hold  me,  as  if  I  could  stay 
here  :  your  regards  must  be  more  spiritual ;  I  must  go 
on  in  mv  Father's  business  till  it  is  finished :  I  am  not 
yet  ascended,  or,  I  do  not  yet  ascend.  I  shall  not  go 
yet ;  I  have  more  to  do :  and  therefore,  do  not  seek  to 
hold  me,  as  if  you  were  afraid  to  lose  me  again  imme- 
diately ;  but  go,  and  take  a  joyful  message  to  my  dis- 
ciples ;  tell  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  their 
Father ;  to  my  Father  by  nature,  and  to  their  Father 
by  adoption.  ' 

I.  Consider  the  readiness  that  is  here  set  forth 
IN  Christ  to  meet  them  that  desire  to  meet  him — 
the  nearness  of  Christ  to  the  humble  and  inquiring 
heart.  *'  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon 
him." 

Mary's  anxiety  was  the  result  of  that  love  which 
Christ  had  implanted  in  her  heart.  The  soul  that  truly 
loves  Christ,' cannot  be  satisfied  with  any  thing  short 
of  him  ;  so,  nothing  could  satisfy  Mary  but  finding  her 
Lord,  whom  she  was  seeking.  "  Saw  ye  him  whom  my 
soul  loveth?"  Though  the  Lord  is  nigh  unto  them 
that  seek  him^  he  is  yet  often  hidden  from  them  by 
appearances :  he  is  behind  some  providential  dispensa- 

U 


242  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

tion ;  or  behind  some  friend.  But  he  will  soon  show 
himself,  and  teach  us,  as  he  did  Mary,  that  they  who 
wait  for  him  shall  not  wait  in  vain.  Though  the  clouds 
obstruct  the  sun,  it  shall  soon  break  forth  again.  Christ 
is  ever  ready  to  meet  his  people.  See  him  meeting  his  flfl 
disciples  at  sea,  when  they  were  toiling  in  rowing :  see  r^ 
him  meeting  Daniel,  when  he  was  mourning,  fasting, 
and  praying  near  the  river  Hiddekel:  see  him  meeting 
John  in  the  isle  of  Patmos :  nay,  he  is  so  nigh,  as  to  be 
present  where  only  "  two  or  three  are  gathered  toge- 
ther in  his  name."  Like  this  gracious  woman,  they 
shall  receive  more  than  they  expect :  Mary  only  desired 
the  dead  body  of  her  Lord ;  but,  lo  !  the  Saviour  pre- 
sented himself  alive  !  to  the  astonishment  and  joy  of 
her  heart. 

II.  Consider  the  direction  Christ  gives  to  such 

AS  SEEK  HI3I. 

The  spirit  and  substance  of  this  direction  is  given  in 
many  parts  of  Scripture ;  and  it  seems  to  be  this :  Do 
not  seek  Christ  any  more  after  the  flesh ;  do  not  live  by  r 
sense  but  by  faith :  look  from  earth  to  heaven  :  *'  Touch 
me  not ;"  /.  e.  do  not  fix  your  attention  on  my  body. 
Mary  seems  to  say,  when  she  found  him  to  be  her 
Lord,  whom  she  took  for  the  gardener,  It  is  enough. 
But  Christ  says,  "  Touch  me  not," — there  is  something 
better  than  my  bodily  presence :  look  to  Christ  risen 
from  the  dead :  look  at  his  ascension  and  intercession ; 
go,  and  tell  my  brethren  that  I  am  a  risen  and  glorified 
Saviour. 

The  method  which  the  Enemy  takes  is  exactly  the 
reverse  of  this.  He  endeavors  to  fix  our  eye  on  some- 
thing present ;  he  takes  pains  to  draw  our  attention 
from  heaven  down  to  earth :  he  bids  us  look  at  the 
world,  which  he  varnishes  over  with  the  fairest  colors: 


CHRIST    APPEARING    TO    MARY    MAGDALENE.        243 

he  is  ever  bringing  the  niind  off  from  spirituaHty,  and 
presenting  to  the  idolatrous  heart  gaudy  trappings  :  he 
prepares,  gewgaws,  and  then  says,  Look  here !  Look 
there  !  but  he  never  says,  Look  up.  The  world  is  an 
idolater.  Like  the  Israelites,  it  says,  "  Come  and  let 
us  make  ourselves  gods  to  go  before  us,"  gods  that  we 
can  see.  We  are  apt  to  be  astonished  at  them,  but  for- 
get that  we  are  disposed  to  act  in  the  same  way.  It  is 
the  sensual  heart,  the  gross  element,  which  is  ever  lead- 
ing us  to  live  by  sight.  But,  let  us  remember,  that  if 
this  is  nature,  it  is  opposite  to  grace  ;  for  this  calls  us  to 
live  by  faith,  and  tells  us  that  this  is  not  our  rest.  The 
religion  of  Christ  is  to  call  us  off  from  the  things  of 
earth  to  something  higher,  something  nobler  ;  to  fix  our 
eyes  upon  a  risen  Saviour,  and  to  let  our  hopes  rest 
on  rising  with  him.  Our  disposition  is  to  linger:  we 
would  be  like  Lot's  wife :  Hasten  me  not :  let  me  stop 
and  taste  of  the  fruit  of  the  land !  If  we  see  some- 
thing to  strike  our  little  minds,  we  are  ready  to  say, 
with  the  disciples  when  they  beheld  the  Temple,  "See 
what  manner  of  stones  and  what  buildings  are  here !" 
But  Christ  turns  away  their  eyes,  and  seems  to  say, 
You  are  looking  upon  dust :  "  There  shall  not  be  left 
one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down." 
So  he  says  to  us,  I  show  you  "  a  house  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  In  the  thirty-second 
chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  God  explains  to  us  the  mean- 
ing of  his  dealings :  "As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest, 
fluttereth  over  her  young,  spreadeth  abroad  her  wings, 
taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings :  so  the  Lord 
alone  did  lead  him,"  i.  e.  he  would  have  us  soar  as  an 
eagle,  above  the  earth. 

III.  Consider   the    endearing  relation   in   which 


244  original  thoughts. 

Christ  presents  himself  to  us,  after  his  resurrec- 
tion :  "  Go  to  my  brethren.''' 

We  see  here  the  relation  in  which  our  Lord  stands 
to  the  gracious  heart.  He  was  now  no  longer  the 
"  Man  of  Sorrows,"  he  was  "  the  Kinor  of  Glorv."  But 
he  seems  to  say — I  do  not  forget  my  relationship :  I 
think  of  my  brethren :  they  are  still  weeping,  as  if  I 
had  forgotten  them — as  if  they  had  lost  their  only 
friend.  "Go  to  my  brethren,"  tell  them,  we  have  one 
Father,  one  spirit :  for  "he  that  is  joined  to  the  Lord 
is  one  spirit :"  tell  them,  that  I  still  remember  them : 
that  I  shall  intercede  for  them,  that  they  may  be  kept 
through  my  name;  "that  they  all  may  be  one."  John 
xvii.  2L  Tell  them,  that  I  am  their  elder  brother,  born 
for  adversity ;  able  to  meet  all  their  wants  and  neces- 
sities :  that  I  am  risen  for  them  :  that  I  ascend  for 
them,  "unto  my  Father  and  their  Father:"  tell  them, 
that  I  am  risen  a  great  conqueror  over  death,  having 
led  captivity  captive ;  and  that  they  shall  be  made  con- 
querors too  :  that  I  have  prepared  a  place  for  them. 
Tell  them,  that  this  relationship  is  so  permanent,  so 
comforting,  that  I  am  not  ashamed  to  call  them  breth- 
ren :  that  I  am  flesh  of  their  flesh,  and  bone  of  their 
bone. 

Christ  calls  all  that  fear  and  love  him  his  brethren  : 
he  says,  "  My  mother  and  my  brethren  are  these  which 
hear  the  word  of  God,  and  do  it."  If,  then,  you  are 
conscious  of  being  believers  in  Christ,  take  it  for  granted 
that  he  does  not  forget  it,  whoever  does.  Though  you 
can  only  stand,  weeping,  before  an  empty  sepulchre, 
yet,  it  is  your  privilege  to  know,  that  though  such 
"  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  yet  joy  cometh  in 
the  morning."     It  is  your  privilege  to  naake  use  of  this 


CHRIST    APPEARING    TO    HIS    DISCIPLES.  245 

assurance  ;  it  is  your  honor,  and  your  duty  to  make 
known  the  Saviour's  love  to  others. 

While  we  have  a  blessed  expectation  of  meeting 
Christ,  and  seeing  him  in  glory,  it  is  our  comfort  also 
to  know,  that  we  shall  meet  again,  in  his  presence,  all 
those  friends  and  relatives  in  Christ  who  have  gone 
before  us.  Let  us  be  animated  by  this  consideration 
to  be  "followers  of  them  who  through  faith  and  pa- 
tience now  inherit  the  promises."  Let  us  follow  their 
steps  as  they  followed  Christ.  And  while  we  have 
such  a  Brother  in  the  heavenly  courts,  who  will  not 
forget  us,  let  us  not  forget  our  brethren  on  earth.  Let 
it  be  our  aim  to  do  them,  as  members  of  the  same 
family,  all  the  good  we  can.  While  it  is  our  high  priv- 
ilege to  build  upon  this  relationship  between  Christ  and 
his  people,  let  us  be  encouraged  to  bring  every  diffi- 
culty, every  peculiarity  of  our  case  to  him,  "  who  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us ;"  and  who  has  said, 
"  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father  ;  and  to 
my  God,  and  your  God." 


CHRIST  APPEARING  TO  HIS  DISCIPLES  AFTER 

HIS  RESURRECTION. 

Then  the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when 
the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  were  assembled  for  fear  of 
the  Jews,  came  Jesus  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them, 
Peace  be  unto  you.  And  when  he  had  so  said,  he  showed  unto  them 
his  hands  and  his  side.  Then  were  the  disciples  glad,  when  they 
saw  the  Lord. — John  xx.  19,  20.  [Uncertain.] 

The  death  and  resurrection  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
form  the  true  foundation  of  the  peace  and  joy  of  a  sin- 


246  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

ner.  *'  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone, 
a  tried  stone,  a  precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  founda- 
tion." Behold,  /  lay  in  Zion  this  stone  :  it  is  a  sure 
foundation. 

When  our  Lord  appeared  to  the  disciples  at  even, 
and  showed  his  hands,  his  feet,  and  his  side,  he  seemed 
to  do  more  than  offer  proofs.  Here  was  a  sentiment. 
Here  was  a  doctrine.  It  was  as  though  he  had  said, 
Behold,  my  hands,  my  feet,  my  side — the  signs  of  my 
sufferings  are  the  signals  of  your  peace. 

This  peace,  and  joy  of  heart,  can  be  obtained  only 
in  that  way  in  which  God  has  promised  to  communi- 
cate it.  The  scene  described  in  the  text  presents  to 
us  a  picture  of  Christianity — a  picture  of  the  true 
Church  in  the  midst  of  a  wicked  world.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  enemies,  but  Jesus  is  in  the  midst  of  it, 
saying,  "  Peace  be  unto  you." 

We  must  add  to  our  faith  virtue.  A  mere  historical 
faith  will  profit  us  nothing.  The  incredulity  subse- 
quently displayed  by  Thomas  may  have  been  the  con- 
sequence of  his  absence  on  this  occasion  ;  ver.  24. 
Faith  is  produced,  and  invigorated,  by  frequenting  the 
places  where  the  Lord  promises  his  presence,  and 
where  his  disciples  meet.  The  promises  of  God  are 
not  only  to  the  diligent  seeker,  but  to  the  patient  waiter. 
They  who  forsake  the  assembling  of  themselves  toge- 
ther in  the  name  of  Christ,  are  not  entitled  to  expect 
his  visits.  The  promises  are  to  those  who  pray,  and 
watch,  and  labor.  The  husbandman  ploughs,  and  sows, 
and  weeds  his  land  ;  and  watches  every  favorable  op- 
portunity for  promoting  the  object  which  he  has  in 
view.  He  cannot  indeed  command  the  warmth  of  the 
sun,  and  the  refreshing  showers :  but  having  done  his 
part,  he  waits  with  patience,  hope,  and'  confidence, 
until  his  fields  are  covered  with  the  harvest.     In  like 


CHRIST    APPEARING    TO    Hia    DISCIPLES.  247 

manner,  we  should  employ  the  means  of  grace — watch, 
pray,  and  wait.  We  may  then  look  forward  to  the 
assured  hope  of  glory.  "  Faith  cometh  by  hearing ; 
and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God."  Rom.  x.  17. 

Incredulity,  as  to  Divine  truth,  has  its  root  in  pride, 
and  self-sufficiency.  It  presumes  to  understand  every 
thing  that  is  proposed  to  it.  The  incredulous  man 
calls  for  demonstration.  He  has  no  idea  of  honoring: 
a  Divine  testimony.  He  would  have  things  made  out 
as  plain  as  that  "  two  and  two  make  four."  The  true 
believer  receives  the  truths  of  the  Bible  as  he  receives 
the  kingdom  of  heaven — with  the  simplicity  of  a  child. 

In  examining  the  records  of  our  Lord's  discourses, 
we  may  remark  this  peculiarity,  We  never  find  him 
reproving  any  of  his  followers  as  placing  too  much 
confidence  in  him  :  but,  on  the  contrary,  we  find  him 
rebuking  men  for  distrusting  his  power,  and  discredit- 
ing his  declarations.  Unbelief  annihilates  the  whole  of 
the  record  God  has  given  of  his  Son.  But  though  to 
them  who  believe  not,  the  record  may  appear  null  and 
void,  its  authority  remains  still  unimpaired ;  its  pro- 
visions are  beneficent ;  and  all  its  denunciations  will 
be  eventually  fulfilled.  "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
of  God  hath  the  witness  in  himself:  he  that  believeth 
not  God  hath  made  him  a  liar :  because  he  believeth 
not  the  record  that  God  gave  of  his  Son."  1  John 
V.  10. 


248  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


COMMUNION  WITH  AN  UNSEEN  SAVIOUR. 

Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love  ;  in  whom,  though  now  ye  see  him  not, 
yet  believing,  ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  : 
receiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your  souls. — 
]  Peter,  i.  8,  9.  [Uncertain.] 

This  text  expresses  the  state  of  mind  which  every 
one  should  pray  for,  who  proposes  to  approach  the  table 
of  the  Lord,  and  hold  communion  with  Christ  in  the 
elements  of  bread  and  wine.  Take  away  Christ  out 
of  the  world,  and  there  is  no  hope  for  sinners :  nothing 
left  for  the  sons  of  men  but  vanity  and  vexation  here, 
and  misery  hereafter. 

I  propose  to  consider, 

I.  The  communion  which  a  Christian  has  with 

AN  UNSEEN  SaVIOUR. 

II.  The  satisfaction,  amounting  to  joy,  which 

BELONGS  TO  THIS  STATE  OF  COMMUNION. 

HI.  The  LEGITIMATE  EXPECTATION  OF  TRUE  FAITH 
CONNECTED  WITH  IT; THE  SALVATION  OF  THE  SOUL. 

I.  The  COMMUNION  which  a  Christian  has  with  an 
UNSEEN  Saviour.  This  is  by  faith :  "  Whom  having 
not  seen,  ye  love.'"  There  is  probably  nothing  that  will 
really  convey  love,  but  a  sense  of  love :  it  must  be  re- 
ciprocal. There  is  a  love,  stronger  than  death,  which 
Christ  has  to  his  Church.  The  subjects  of  it,  instead 
of  having  any  claim  to  such  love,  are  represented  as 
"poor,  and  miserable,  and  blind,  and  naked."  But  the 
Spirit  of  God  has  taken  of  the  things  of  Christ,  and 
showed  them  savingly  to  them  ;  and  given  fhem  a  sense 
of  the  obligations  which  they  owe  to  such  a  Friend. 


COMMUNION    WITH    AN    UNSEEN    SAVIOUR.  249 

The  vision  of  faith  differs  from  the  vision  of  glory  :  it  is 
the  eye  of  the  new  creature  fixing  on  invisible  realities. 
Wherever  this  revelation  has  been  made,  our  Lord 
declares,  that  "  flesh  and  blood  has  not  revealed  it"  to 
us  ;  if  we  have  any  fellowship  by  faith  with  Jesus  Christ, 
it  is  not  of  ourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God.  Many  saw 
Christ  in  the  flesh,  who  loved  him  not :  The  Jews  saw 
him,  who  cried  out,  "  Let  him  be  crucified !"  While 
his  very  murderers,  under  the  sermon  preached  by 
Peter,  and  sent  home  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  their  hearts, 
received  the  word  gladly,  were  baptized  in  the  name  of 
Christ,  and  became  joyful  members  of  the  true  Church. 
Beauty,  and  propriety,  are  said  to  be  th#  cause  of 
love :  we  must  have  some  interest  in  that  which  we 
love.  Faith  enables  the  believer  to  behold  both  these 
in  the  person  of  Christ.  His  character  appears  beau- 
tiful, and  his  person  precious ;  and  by  taking  hold  of 
the  promise,  we  become  interested  in  him.  The  lan- 
guage of  all  such  is,  "Whom  having  not  seen,  we  love." 
Every  true  convert  is  a  "  partaker  of  Christ,"  Heb.  iii. 
14:  he  sees,  that  his  being  bruised,  spit  upon,  nailed  to 
a  tree,  were  so  many  expressions  of  his  love ;  and  this 
fills  him  with  "joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory:"  it 
was  this  sense  of  the  love  of  Christ,  which  made  the 
primitive  Christians  willing  to  lay  down  their  lives  for 
his  sake :  and  though  some  may  say,  "  What  is  thy 
beloved  more  than  another  beloved  ?"  at  least  we  see 
this  beauty  in  him,  that  his  love  was  "  stronger  than 
death" — that  it  caused  him  to  bear  our  sins  and  sor- 
rows, and  to  free  us  from  eternal  death.  "  We  love 
him,  because  he  first  loved  us."  The  whole  humilia- 
tion and  passion  of  Christ  was  one  continual  expression 
of  his  love  to  sinners  :  and  when  this  is  made  known  to 
the  heart,  it  has  a  constraining  influence.  "  The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us,"  saith  the  Apostle,  "  because 

11* 


250  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

we  thus  judge,  that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were  all 
dead."  Thus  begins  a  new  song,  "Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  :"  we  do  not  stand  to  argue  about 
his  cross,  but  we  take  it  up  joyfully. 

Let  us  examine  ourselves,  whether  we  know  any, 
thing  of  this  love ;  whether  we  have  seen  the  Lord 
Jesus  by  the  eye  of  faith.  Can  we  appeal,  like  Peter, 
and  say,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  ?"  Have 
we  ever  cried  to  him,  like  Bartimeus,  to  open  our  blind 
eyes?  Do  we  feel  that  his  love  is  shed  abroad  in  our 
hearts  ?  If  it  is,  it  will  always  be  accompanied  by  love 
to  human  nature  :  you  will  become  serviceable  to  your 
fellow-crea^jUres ;  you  will  feel  concern  for  their  souls, 
and  desirous  to  recommend  Christ  to  them. 

We  must  not,  however,  despise  "  the  day  of  small 
things."  Satan  is  apt  to  disturb  our  minds  with  this 
temptation,  that  if  we  cannot  speak  of  Christ  as  Peter 
and  Paul  did,  our  love  is  so  small,  that  it  is  worth 
nothing.  No  wonder,  if  we  come  behind  them  !  but 
God  says,  that  "he  will  not  quench  the  smoking  flax." 
Sensible  things  press  upon  us  so  strongly,  that  we  are 
obliged  to  combat  them  with  Scripture  truths — with 
invincible  w^eapons.  We  must  give  up  living  by  sense : 
we  must  take  Christ  at  his  word,  rest  in  his  providence, 
and  remember,  that  if  we  have  faith  but  as  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  it  is  so  great  a  thing,  that  we  shall  have 
to  thank  God  for  it  to  all  eternity.  It  was  by  faith  and 
patience  that  our  fathers  inherited  the  promises — by 
faith,  they  overcame  the  world  : — therefore,  instead  of 
repining,  let  us  cry,  "Lord,  increase  my  faith:"  let  us 
go  to  Christ,  and  speak  in  his  ear,  "  Lord,  shed  abroad 
thy  love  in  my  heart !"  Nothing  but  a  simple  faith 
can  bring  us  to  this ;  or  enable  us  to  have  that  com- 
munion with  Christ  spoken  of  in  the  text :  but  in  pro- 
portion as  we  can  take  him  as  our  portion,  we  shall 


COMMUNION    WITH    AN    UNSEEN    SAVIOUR.  251 

find    an    inward    satisfaction,    ''  a    joy   unspeakable ;" 
which  is  the  thing  we  have  next  to  consider,  namely, 

11.   The    satisfaction,    amounting    even    to   joy, 

WHICH  belongs  to  A  BELIEVER. 

The  Christian  feels  this  evidence,  that  flesh  and 
blood  hath  not  revealed  to  him  what  he  experiences 
of  joy  ;  but  that  it  is  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Joy  is  the  flower,  not  the 
root,  which  is  faith.  The  Apostle  calls  it  a  "joy 
unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory."  There  is  something 
incomparably  beautiful  in  this  expression,  as  it  cannot 
be  applied  to  any  thing  else.  The  highest  joys  we 
experience  here,  are  soon  expressed,  and  overstated. 
Whenever  we  think  of  any  earthly  object  we  can  seldom 
say,  as  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  "  The  half  was  not  told 
me!"  When  our  expectation  has  been  raised  to  the 
highest  pitch,  does  not  experience  testify  that,  instead 
of  inexpressible  joy,  disappointment  is  generally  the 
result?  With  all  that  anxiety,»with  all  that  expense, 
and  labor,  which  men  are  at,  to  overtake  joy,  they 
cannot  attain  it :  such  pursuers  live  in  a  tumult :  but 
true  joy  is  a  serious,  calm  thing.  Men  call  for  more, 
and  more,  of  earth ;  but  more  does  not  satisfy  them. 
On  the  other  hand,  what  a  rest,  what  a  satisfaction  to 
say,  "  My  Beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  his !"  This  is 
*'  full  of  glory !"  It  is  the  privilege  of  a  real  Christian. 
Though  he  has  not  yet  entered  into  his  rest,  but  is  only 
a  traveller,  and  therefore  has  not  attained  his  full  sal- 
vation, yet  it  is  his  privilege  to  have  some  foretastes 
of  the  glory  laid  up  for  him.  The  Apostle  says,  while 
in  the  midst  of  trials  and  persecutions,  "  I  take  plea- 
sure" in  them:  Why  is  this?  "That  the  power  of 
Christ  may  rest  upon  me."  Now,  if  a  man  by  taking 
hold  of  the  arm  of  God  by  faith,  is  thus  enabled  to 


252  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

rejoice  under  trials  and  difficulties,  with  a  "joy  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory,"  it  speaks  the  Christian's 
privilege.  How  must  St.  Paul  have  felt  this,  when 
Christ  spoke  to  his  heart,  telling  him  he  was  "  a  chosen 
vessel !"  When  the  soul  is  enabled  to  believe  not  only 
of  Christ,  but  in  Christ — to  rely  entirely — to  expect 
every  thing  from  him— then  there  is  experienced  a 
"joy  unspeakable:"  a  joy  of  expectation:  a  joy  of 
security:  a  joy  "full  of  glory." 

Men  often  believe  a  great  deal  concerning  Christ, 
and  then  wonder  that  they  have  not  the  joy  of  a  be- 
liever. It  is  rational  that  the  soul  that  has  found  the 
treasure  should  have  joy.  But  to  be  a  Christian,  im- 
plies that  a  man  has  taken  Christ's  yoke  upon  him ; — 
that  he  has  made  a  resignation  of  his  heart  to  Christ ; 
and  counts  his  service  perfect  freedom  :  that  he  relies 
on  his  word ;  and  believes,  that  though  heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  yet  Christ's  words  shall  not 
pass  away,  till  all  be  fulfilled.  That  such  a  man  should 
have  joy,  is  rational.  -For,  if  I  believe  that  Christ  has 
laid  down  his  life  for  me,  and  that  by  his  blood  I  am 
cleansed  from  all  sin — that  I  have  a  share  in  his  love 
— that  he  is  able  to  put  all  my  enemies  under  my  feet 
— that  he  has  promised  sin  shall  not  have  dominion 
over  me — that  by  his  grace  I  shall  be  made  more  than 
a  conqueror  over  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil ; — 
shall  I  not  rejoice  in  all  this  ?  And  beyond  all  this, 
there  is  the  joy  of  expectation  ;  waiting,  with  '*  the  as- 
surance of  hope,"  for  an  incorruptible  crown  that  fadeth 
not  away. 

Notwithstanding  that  these  things  are  so,  there  is, 
however,  a  sad  prejudice,  especially  among  young 
people,  who  think  that  religion  is  a  dull  and  melancholy 
thing: — But  are  "joy  unspeakable,"  and  melancholy, 
synonymous  terms  ?     Is  being  a  Christian,  the  becom- 


COMMUNION    WITH    AN    UNSEEN    SAVIOUR.  253 

ing  a  gloomy  character  ?  No  doubt,  it  implies  being  a 
mortified,  seli-denying  character.  Do  not  think  that 
religion  will  take  away  your  joy :  it  proposes  to 
give  you  the  true  joy  :  it  is  an  incitement  to  action  :  it 
is  an  exorcist.  What  is  meant  by  "  full  of  glory,"  but 
to  see  a  poor  sinner  trusting  and  glorying  in  his  God, 
casting  away  other  dependences,  and  glorying  in  him 
only  ?  This  is  a  foretaste  of  that  glory  to  which  he  is 
hastening !  Though  every  pilgrim  who  has  such  a 
road  to  travel,  and  a  body  so  full  of  infirmities,  must 
have  his  sad  moments — yet,  he  has  a  joy  unspeakable, 
through  all.  Be  not,  therefore,  deceived :  you  are 
invited  to  be  happy.  Take  up  religion,  not  as  a  mere 
notion';  but  as  something  solid,  and  valuable.  Are  you 
a  man  who  can  calculate  profit  and  loss  ?  Would  to 
God  you  were  !  Then,  you  would  say — There  is  but 
one  important  concern — the  salvation  of  my  immortal 
soul !  What  is  the  project  of  the  greatest  earthly  pro- 
jector, though  it  should  be  to  add  kingdom  to  kingdom? 
If  he  has  not  considered,  and  taken  into  account,  his 
eternal  interest,  he  is  a  poor  purblind  man — a  poor 
driveller — and  does  not  seek  solid  joy  !  What  has  he 
for  hereafter  ?     Which  leads  me  to  consider, 

III.  The  legitimate  expectation  of  true  faith: 
*'  Receiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of 
your  soulsJ^ 

What  is  salvation  ?  Many  are  ready  to  reply,  "  It 
is  deliverance  from  evil."  It  is  more  !  It  signifies  not 
only  the  being  delivered  from  all  evil,  but  the  being 
introduced  into  all  good.  It  is  being  delivered  from 
temptation,  from  Satan,  from  hell.  But  salvation  does 
not  stop  here ;  it  introduces  us  to  '*  an  inheritance  in- 
corruptible and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away :" 
to  a  blessed  society.     The  Church  below  is  but  a  faint 


254  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

emblem  of  the  Church  above;  yet  of  that  St.  Paul 
says,  "  But  ye  are  come  unto  Mount  Sion."  Heb.  xii. 
Come  to  Mount  Sion !  Why,  many  of  them  were 
poor  weeping  Christians !  but  they  were  come  to  the 
communion  of  saints.  Some  were  on  one  side  of  the 
river,  and  some  on  the  other.  But  "  who  are  these 
which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ?  and  whence  came 
they  ?" — "  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great 
tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are 
they  before  the  throne  of  Godj  and  serve  him  day  and 
night  in  his  temple  ?"  They  have  now  crossed  the 
river.  The  glory  of  God,  and  the  redemption  of  the 
soul,  are  united :  this  is  the  end  of  our  faith — even 
"  the  salvation  of  the  soul."  We  preach  not  any 
peculiarity  that  belongs  to  a  sect  or  party  : — our  design 
is  too  grand,  too  broad  ;  we  preach  salvation  ! 

We  should  ponder  much  on  the  love  of  God  to  sin- 
ners in  so  meeting  their  case  ;  in  making  use  of  various 
means  to  point  out  to  a  poor  lost  sinner,  in  a  disor- 
dered world,  where  he  may  find  a  compassionate  and 
all-sufficient  Friend ;  and  how  he  may,  by  faith,  hold 
communion  with  God,  through  a  Mediator.  At  the 
day  of  judgment,  every  man's  eternal  state  will  depend 
on  the  answer  to  this  question,  "  What  are  the  evi- 
dences of  your  love  to  Christ  ?"  For,  "  If  any  man 
love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema 
Maran-atha  ;"  or,  accursed  when  the  Lord  comes.  The 
robber,  or  the  murderer,  is  convinced  he  is  wrong :  but 
he  that  does  not  love  Christ  is  not  always  convinced 
he  is  wrong.  It  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  glorify 
Christ ;  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and  to  show  them 
unto  us.  But  if  we  have  not  seen  enough  of  the  things 
of  Christ  to  make  us  love  him,  we  have  not  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  and  so  are  "  none  of  his."     The  apostle  says, 


COMMUNION    WITH    AN    UNSEEN    SAVIOUR.  255 

"  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."  You  may  as 
well  suppose  a  well-constituted  watch  without  a  main- 
spring, as  a  Christian  without  love  to  Christ. 

In  conclusion,  if  you  profess  to  enter  seriously  into 
religion,  remember  it  implies  calmness  and  solidity,  not 
a  rapturous  flight.  The  privilege  of  a  Divine  friend- 
ship is  rather  a  gracious  frame  of  mind,  than  a  transi- 
tory rapture.  Repeated  acts  form  a  habit.  A  believer 
frequently  going  to  his  God  and  Saviour,  thereby  forms 
a  habit  of  holy  and  intimate  communion  ;  in  like  man- 
ner as  a  child  has  the  habit  of  clinging  to  his  parent,  in 
all  danger  and  alarm.  Such  a  habit  had  Enoch :  his 
was  not  a  momentary,  rapturous,  hold  on  God ;  but  he 
walked  with  him.  The  love  of  Christ  is  the  main 
spring  of  all  Christian  obedience  :  it  is  the  great  anti- 
dote against  temptation.  The  serious  joy  which  results 
from  this,  is  a  strong  spring  of  action  ;  it  recommends 
religion  ;  it  will  bear  us  up  in  trouble  ;  it  will  enable  us, 
like  the  apostle,  to  glory  in  our  infirmities,  that  the 
power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  us :  and  it  is  the  best 
evidence  of  faith."  Matt.  xxv.  31 — 40. 

I  would  say  to  believers — However  advanced,  we 
need  continually  to  receive  out  of  Christ's  fulness.  It 
was  an  old  disciple  who  said,  "  To  whom  coming,  as 
unto  a  living  stone,  disallowed  indeed  of  men,  but 
chosen  of  God  and  precious — ye  also,  as  lively  stones, 
are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer 
up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus 
Christ."  And  another  old  disciple  thus  exhorts  us  : — 
''  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not 
yet  appear  what  we  shall  be :  but  we  know  that,  when 
he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see 
him  as  he  is.  And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in 
him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  he  is  pure."  How 
watchful,  how  holy,  how  consistent  should  be  our  walk 


256  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  conversation,  in  order  that  we  may  not  be  ashamed 
before  him  at  his  coming  ! — Let  us  come  now  to  the 
holy  sacrament,  seeking  a  closer  union  and  communion 
with  Christ,  as  our  Head :  praying,  that  our  faith  may 
be  increased,  our  love  confirmed  and  strengthened,  and 
that  we  may  have  a  joyful  hope  of  sitting  down  with 
our  adorable  Lord  and  Master,  in  his  kingdom  and 
glory. 


CHRIST'S  TRIUMPHANT  ASCENSION. 

Thou  hast  ascended  on  high,  thou  hast  led  captivity  captive  ;  thou  hast 
received  gifts  for  men  ;  yea,  for  the  rebelUous  also,  that  the  Lord  God 
might  dwell  among  them. — Psalm  Ixviii.  18.  [1803.] 

It  was  many  years  after  this  Psalm  was  written  that 
the  prophecy  contained  in  it  was  fulfilled.  But  it  is 
common  in  the  language  of  prophecy  to  speak  of  things 
certain  as  if  they  were  past. — In  the  Epistle  to  the 
Ephesians,  St.  Paul,  addressing  the  Church  of  believers 
as  quickened  together  with  Christ,  says,  "  And  hath 
raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit  together  in 
heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus,"  not,  he  shall  raise, 
and  will  make  us  sit ;  denoting  not  only  the  dependency 
which  our  resurrection  and  glorification  has  upon 
Christ's,  but  also  the  undoubted  certainty  that  they 
shall  come  to  pass  ;  Christ's  resurrection  and  glorifica- 
tion being  a  pledge  of  ours.  After  our  blessed  Lord 
had  accomplished  his  work  on  earth,  he  ascended  into 
heaven.  He  went  up  in  a  public  capacity,  as  our 
Forerunner ;  as  One  who  is  still  transacting  and  carry- 
ing on  our  interests  in  heaven. 

"  Thou  hast  led  captivity  captive."     The  Psalmist 


CHRIST^S    TRIUMPHANT    ASCENSION.  257 

evidently  makes  an  allusion  to  the  triumphant  entry 
of  a  conqueror,  who  leads  the  vanquished  as  a  trophy 
of  his  success  and  victory ;  he  refers  to  the  dragging 
of  the  captives  at  the  chariot  wheels.  Christ  having 
quite  broken  the  power  of  sin  and  Satan  before  he- 
ascended  up,  led  every  spiritual  enemy  in  triumph,  as 
spoiled  and  overcome.  The  apostle  refers  to  this 
psalm,  Eph.  iv. :  "  To  every  one  of  us  is  given  grace 
according  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ.  Where- 
foie  he  saith,  when  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led 
captivity  captive  and  gave  gifts  unto  men."  Not  only 
miraculous  gifts,  as  at  the  day  of  Pentecost — but  better 
gifts  also  than  these  :  gifts  of  repentance,  pardon,  holi- 
ness, and  peace.  If  any  man  has  true  repentance,  if 
he  is  pardoned,  justified,  and  sanctified,  if  he  has  peace 
in  his  conscience,  these  are. gifts  purchased  by  Christ. 

"  Thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men ;"  verily  he  took 
not  hold  of  the  nature  of  angels,  but  he  took  hold  of  the 
seed  of  Abraham.  "Gifts /or  men;"  so  that  they  may 
properly  be  set  before  men  ;  before  every  man ;  every 
creature.  Therefore  Christ's  ministers  may  say  to  all, 
*'  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters." 

*'  Yea,  for  the  rebellious  also :"  not  only  for  all  men 
generally,  and  individually,  but  also  as  respects  their 
state  and  character ;  "  for  the  rebellious  also,"  that 
every  mouth  may  be  stopped.  "  Whosoever  will," 
may  reap  the  benefit  of  these  gifts ;  even  those  who 
had  forfeited  them.  Some  allusion  may  here  be  made 
to  the  Gentiles,  who  were  "  enemies  in  their  minds  by 
wicked  works  :"  Col.  i.  21 ;  but  every  man  is  by  nature 
a  rebel :  the  whole  species  is  up  in  arms :  not  one  is 
exempt. 

Some  may  ask.  Is  this  according  to  the  Scripture 
rule — "  If  ye  will  walk  contrary  unto  me,  then  I  will 
walk  contrary  unto  you  ?"     Observe,  it  is  not  meant 


258  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

for  them  that  will  continue  to  put  the  offers  of  the 
Gospel  far  from  them,  and  so  finally  perish.  But  it 
refers  to  them  that  by  nature  are  as  far  from  God  as 
others,  to  whom  these  gifts  are  offered,  that  they  may 
seek  to  the  Prince  of  Peace,  who  never  casts  out  any 
that  come  to  him.  The  apostle  says  to  Titus,  "  For 
we  ourselves  also  were  sometimes  foolish,  disobedient, 
deceived,  serving  divers  lusts,  and  pleasures,  living  in 
malice  and  envy,  hateful,  and  hating  one  another." 
If  these  gifts  were  not  for  rebels,  we  none  of  us  could 
hope  to  receive  them  ;  but  they  are  meant  for  such  as 
repent  and  return  to  God,  though  even  "  the  rebellious." 
For  them,  these  gifts  are  received  ;  to  them,  they  are 
given.  But  for  what  end  ?  that  they  may  remain  re- 
bellious? No;  but  that  they  might  lay  down  their 
arms ;  that  their  enmity  might  be  slain  ;  and  that  they 
might  return  to  their  allegiance.  Christ  came  to  a 
rebellious  world,  not  to  conden^m  it,  but  that  through 
him  it  might  be  saved. 

"  That  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among  them  :"  this 
is  the  grand  end  proposed  by  the  Gospel.  Sin  has 
caused  an  awful  separation  between  man  and  his 
Maker ;  and  to  bring  them  together  again  was  the  de- 
sign of  Christ's  coming.  He  would  set  up  a  Church 
in  a  rebellious  world,  in  which  he  would  dwell  by  his 
word  and  ordinances,  as  of  old  in  the  sanctuary.  He 
would  raise  a  spiritual,  abiding,  eternal  temple :  he 
would  set  up  his  throne  that  Christ  might  dwell  in  the 
hearts  of  those  that  had  been  rebellious,  and  so  he 
would  make  them  living  temples  to  his  praise.  There 
are  those  who  shall  bring  their  testimony  at  the  great 
day,  that  grace  has  not  only  been  promised,  but  freely 
imparted. 

This  is  not  a  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament  only. 
The  Lord  said  to  Moses,  "  I  will  set  my  tabernacle 


Christ's  triumphant  ascension.  259 

among  you,  and  nfiy  soul  shall  not  abhor  you.  And  I 
will  walk  among  you,  and  will  be  your  God,  and  ye 
shall  be  my  people."  Lev.  xxvi.  11,  12.  "My  taber- 
nacle also  shall  be  with  them :  yea,  I  will  be  their  God, 
and  they  shall  be  my  people."  Ezek.  xxxvii.  27.  And 
in  recognition  of  this  privilege  to  the  Jewish  Church, 
St.  Paul  reminds  the  Gentile  converts  of  what  had 
formerly  been  their  condition :  "  Wherefore  remember, 
that  ye  being  in  times  past  Gentiles  in  the  flesh,  who 
are  called  uncircumcision  by  that  w^hich  is  called  cir- 
cumcision in  the  flesh  made  with  hands ;  that  at  that 
time  ye  were  without  Christ,  being  aliens  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  cove- 
nant of  promise,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in 
the  world."  Eph.  ii.  11,  12.  Now  the  promise  is  not 
for  Jews  only,  but  for  all  men  :  Christ  has  opened  the 
gates  of  heaven  to  all  believers.  He  rose  from  the 
dead,  and  ascended  up  into  heaven  as  the  common 
Head  and  representative  of  his  Church  and  people  : 
and  the  design  of  all  this  is,  "  that  the  Lord  God  might 
dwell  among  them  ;"  that  there  might  be  union  and 
communion  with  him  :  communications  of  grace  and 
holiness,  of  pardon  and  peace,  to  all  the  fallen  children 
of  men. 

This  was  the  prophecy :  now  observe  the  fulfilment. 
Our  Lord  having  given  his  disciples  the  fullest  evidence 
of  his  resurrection,  "  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany, 
and  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed  them.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven."  Luke  xxiv. 
36 — 51.  In  Acts  i.  9 — 11,  it  is  said,  "And  when  he 
had  spoken  these  things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was 
taken  up ;  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight. 
And  while  they  looked  steadfastly  towards  heaven  as 
he  went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white 


260  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

apparel ;  which  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand 
ye  gazing  up  into  heaven  ?  This  same  Jesus,  which  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like 
manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven."  We 
see  our  Lord  invested  with  full  power,  and  sending 
down  the  Holy  Ghost  according  to  his  promise.  We 
see  him  ascended  to  his  Father  and  our  Father.  Not 
to  sit  as  an  indifferent  spectator  of  men  ;  but  to  bring 
the  dead  to  life  ;  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  his  Church. 
When  he  left  his  disciples  to  go  into  heaven,  he  g^ve  a 
gracious  parting  word  and  promise :  "  All  power  is 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  As  though  he 
had  said,  I  am  going  away,  but  you  have  nothing  to 
fear  from  men  or  devils  :  "  Go  ve  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  x\nd  the 
apostles  went  forth,  and  began  to  testify  to  the  resur- 
rection and  ascension  of  their  Lord  :  and  though  they 
were  imprisoned  for  so  doing,  the  Lord  opened  the 
prison  doors,  and  said,  "  Go,  stand  and  speak  in  the 
temple  to  the  people  all  the  words  of  this  life."  Being 
again  brought  before  the  council,  Peter  and  the  other 
apostles  answered,  "  We  ought  to  obey  God  rather 
than  men.  The  God  of  our  fathers  raised  up  Jesus, 
whom  ye  slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree.  Him  hath  God 
exalted  with  his  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince  and  a 
Saviour,  for  to  give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgive- 
ness of  sins.  And  we  are  his  witnesses  of  these  things  ; 
and  so  is  also  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given 
to  them  that  obey  him."  God  hath  sent  us  forth, 
giving  us  gifts  ;  so  that  by  our  ministry  the  rebellious 
are  brought  over,  and  victories  are  obtained  by  the 
exalted  Redeemer  over  death  and  hell ;  and  through 
him  we  also  are  made  more  than  conquerors.  We  are 
commissioned  to  go  forth  and  speak  oY  the  glory  of  our 
exalted  King,  and  to  testify  that  he  is  a  Saviour  and 


Christ's  triumphant  ascension.  261 

benefactor  to  his  willing  people ;  but  "  a  consuming 
fire"  to  all  those  that  persist  in  rebellion  against  him. 
**  He  that  believes,  shall  be  saved ;  he  that  believes  not, 
shall  be  damned."  Mark  xvi.  16. 

I  would  now  speak  by  way  of  applicatioiv  to  men 
of  an  undecided  mind,  to  the  mere  speculatist  in  re- 
ligion. And  I  would  say,  as  was  said  to  the  apostles, 
Ye  men  of  Galilee,  "why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into 
heaven  ?"  Why  do  ye  stand  as  mere  gazers  on  that 
which  God  sets  before  you  in  his  Son  ?  Ye  do  not 
gaze  on  other  things  so,  as  men  without  feeling  or  in- 
terest, and  who  reflect  not  beyond  the  present  moment. 
You  say,  Oh  that  I  had  this,  or  that !  Oh  that  I  could 
procure  or  purchase  so  and  so!  By  the  ascension  of 
Jesus,  God  hath  set  before  you  the  inestimable  gift  of 
his  Spirit,  compared  to  "  living  water  :"  and  woe  be  to 
that  man  who  continues  to  slight  and  reject  it  !  He 
has  set  before  you  "gifts."  But,  what !  shall  a  man 
catch  at  all  the  foolish  toys  and  trifles  w^hich  the  world 
presents,  and  say.  Oh  that  1  had  this,  or  that  !  when  he 
is  passing  away  from  every  thing  ?  and  shall  he  con- 
tinue ignorant  respecting  the  excellency  of  the  Gospel, 
and  indifferent  to  the  ofler  of  eternal  life  in  Christ  ? 
After  such  offers,  and  such  provision,  how  guilty  must 
that  man  be  who  continues  to  slight  God's  *'  unspeak- 
able gift !"  Oh  what  a  proof  is  this  of  the  fall  of  man  ! 
But  I  must  tell  you,  that  while  you  are  deliberating, 
you  stand  on  extremely  dangerous  ground.  "  This 
night,"  it  may  be  said,  •'  thy  soul  is  required  of  thee  !" 
and  if  not  this  night,  while  you  are  deliberating  Satan 
is  busy ;  some  temptation  may  come  and  carry  you 
away,  and  your  mind  maybe  so  blinded  and  infatuated, 
that  you  will  have  no  disposition  to  attend  to  the  things 
belonging  to  your  peace  !  How  many  have  I  seen 
sitting  under  the  sound  of  the  Gospel,  whom  the  vani- 


262  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

ties  of  this  world  have  rendered  deaf  to  every  impor- 
tant reah'ty,  till  something  too  strong  to  resist  has  led 
them  away  captive,  tied  and  bound  by  the  chains  of 
their  sins  !  Consider,  seriously,  the  danger  of  standing 
idly  on  Satan's  ground,  while  Christ  stands  knocking  -at 
the  door  of  vour  hearts  !  Those  that  are  real  witnesses 
of  the  truth,  know  most  assuredly  that  religion  is  not  a 
mere  speculation  :  it  is  not  a  mere  abstract  proposition. 
It  is  a  motive  :  it  is  a  principle  :  it  is  a  possession  ! 

To  serious  inquirers,  let  me  say,  The  glorious  Sun 
of  Righteousness  ascended  into  heaven,  not  to  illumi- 
nate Judea  alone,  where  he  dwelt,  but,  like  the  sun  in 
the  firmament,  to  shed  his  beams  all  over  the  earth. 
The  light  is  here  :  it  is  come  to  us  !  Do  you  desire  to 
be  enlightened  by  it  ?  Do  you  desire  to  accept  the 
*' gifts"  received  for  you?  The  folly  of  man  is,  that 
he  goes  on  without  reflecting  what  God  has  done  for 
him.  Do  you  ask  how  these  benefits  are  to  be  re- 
ceived ?  Look  at  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  book 
of  Numbers.  On  account  of  the  people's  murmuring, 
*'  the  Lord  sent  fiery  serpents  among  them,  and  they 
bit  the  people  ;  and  much  people  of  Israel  died.  There- 
fore the  people  came  to  Moses,  and  said.  We  have 
sinned,  for  we  have  spoken  against  the  Lord,  and 
against  thee  :  pray  unto  the  Lord,  that  he  take  away 
the  serpents  from  us.  And  Moses  prayed  for  the 
people.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Make  thee  a 
fiery  serpent,  and  set  it  upon  a  pole  :  and  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  that  every  one  that  is  bitten,  when  he  looketh 
upon  it  shall  live.  And  Moses  made  a  serpent  of  brass, 
and  put  it  upon  a  pole,  and  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a 
serpent  had  bitten  any  man,  when  he  beheld  the  ser- 
pent of  brass  he  lived."  How  did  they  receive  this 
healing  ?  Did  they  pay  any  thing  for  it  ?  Yet  look  at 
the  effects :  here  was  life  and  cure  !     God  said,  This  is 


Christ's  triumphant  ascension.  263 

my  appointment — my  constitution  of  mercy  :  and  they 
were  obedient :  they  looked,  and  were  healed.  "  So," 
says  our  Lord,  "  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up :" 
and  so  must  he  be  received :  not  that  men  should 
reason,  but  obey.  There  is  benefit  in  that  to  which 
God  has  annexed  benefit ;  therefore  if  God  has  ap- 
pointed a  new  and  living  way,  and  if  he  tells  me  it 
is  in  this  way  that  he  saves  sinners, — why,  then,  if  I 
really  desire  deliverance,  I  shall  take  it  in  God's  way  : 
I  shall  pray, — Oh,  give  me  a  new  heart  to  bring  forth 
fruit,  by  being  united  to  the  True  Vine  !  If  you  ask 
further.  How  shall  I  get  this  faith  ?  I  answer.  Regard 
the  text :  "  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high,  thou  hast  led 
captivity  captive  ;  thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men ; 
yea,  for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God  might 
dwell  among  them."  Observe,  this  is  the  condem- 
nation, not  that  men  cannot  give  themselves  faith,  but — 
that  they  will  not  come  unto  Christ  that  they  might 
have  life.  Therefore  if  a  man  have  ears  to  hear,  let 
him  apply  this  subject  to  himself,  and  say,  I  need  these 
gifts,  I  hear  they  are  to  be  freely  bestowed,  I  have  only 
to  make  application  for  them. 

Let  me  say  to  Christians, — Consider  the  end  pro- 
posed by  all  our  means  and  privileges.  Why  did  Christ 
go  through  all  the  work  of  redemption  ?  It  was  that 
the  Lord  God  might  dwell  amongst  us  ;  that  we  may 
return  to  our  Father's  house,  for  we  have  all  been 
prodigals.  It  was  that  we  might  be  a  peculiar  people, 
a  chosen  generation.  What  is  all  this  for,  that  is  spoken 
of  in  the  text  ?  is  it  that  we  should  have  poor  formal 
notions,  or  join  a  party  ?  What  is  all  this  for,  that  is 
represented  under  the  metaphor  of  a  battle,  a  victory, 
a  triumph  ?  It  is,  that  we  may  be  like  Enoch  ;  it  is, 
that  we  may  forsake  our  evil  ways,  and  follow  God, 
like  Abraham,  however  expensive  the  trial ;  it  is,  that 


264  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

we  may  be  like  the  disciples  going  to  Emmaus  :  there 
was  no  speculation — "  Did  not  our  hearts  burn  within 
us  ?"  It  is,  that,  like  Mary,  if  we  cannot  find  our 
Master,  we  should  look  after  him  :  her  heart  was  there  ; 
and  therefore  she  could  not  leave  the  place  till  she 
learnt  something  of  him  :  this  is  heart  work. 

It  was  a  most  glorious  design  that,  when  Satan  had 
caused  a  separation,  God  should  again  find  out  a  way 
to  unite  himself  to  us,  and  us  to  him.  "  That  he  might 
be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  which  believeth  in  Je- 
sus." The  Christian  should  consider  that  he  is  called 
with  a  high  and  holy  calling :  he  ought  to  be  a  public 
blessing,  like  Aaron.  We  should  not  give  up  hope 
that  God  would  appear  for  this  nation,  at  this  time,  as 
at  other  times  ;  but  then  we  should  remember,  that  it 
is  his  blessing  which  must  do  this  :  and  for  this,  and 
and  every  other  mercy,  "He  will  be  inquired  of." 
Read  the  Psalm  from  whence  the  text  is  taken  :  "  Let 
God  arise,  let  his  enemies  be  scattered,"  "  He  that  is 
our  God  is  the  God  of  Salvation  ;  and  unto  God  the 
Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death." 

Whenever  you  hear  of  victories  gained  by  mere 
human  beings,  it  is  over  externals, — as  towns,  men, 
&c.  ;  but  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  vanquish 
the  very  conqueror  himself.  The  Christian  soldier 
fights  under  a  Captain  who  has  "  overcome  the  world  ;" 
and  what  Christ  has  done  as  our  head  and  representa- 
tive, we  may  be  said  to  do  in  him.  Christ  had  finished 
transgression  and  made  an  end  of  sin,  when  he  as- 
cended leading  captivity  captive  :  and  he  now  says, 
Open  the  prison  doors  ;  let  the  captive  go  free  :  "  sin 
shall  not  have  dominion  over  you  ;  for  ye  are  not  un- 
der the  law  but  under  grace."  "  He  hath  raised  us  up 
together,  and  made  us  sit  together  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ  Jesus."     Therefore,  "  set  your  affections  on 


THE    KING    OF    ZION.  265 

things  above ;"  there  is  a  "  path  of  Hfe  ;"  there  is  a  de- 
parture, through  death,  to  life  ;  and  "  when  Christ  who 
is  our  Hfe  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear  with 
him  in  glory."     Col.  iii.  4. 


THE  KING  OF  ZION. 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my  rigKt  hand,  until  I  make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool. — Psalm  ex.  1.  [Uncertain,] 

The  Lord  Jesus  is  so  infinitely  high,  and  man  has 
fallen  down  so  very  low,  that  he  is  apt  to  be  led  away 
by  his  senses ;  and  then  he  talks  of  his  knowledge  : 
hence,  he  is  apt  to  stumble  at  the  great  things  of  God. 

For  instance  ;  man  hears  of  "  a  Babe  lying  in  a 
manger;"  "a  Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with 
grief:"  of  "  One  crucified:"  and,  like  the  Jew  of  old, 
trusting  in  his  senses,  and  looking  at  such  an  Object,  he 
finds  herein  a  stumbling-block ;  and  he  asks — Where  is 
all  the  glory  ?  All  this  is  for  want  of  considering  that 
to  know  the  truths  of  God  we  must  come  to  the  word 
of  God ;  and  there  we  shall  see  "  heights  and  depths." 
"  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my  right 
hand,  until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool." 

I.  Consider  the  inauguration  of  Christ,  as  the 
King  of  Zion. 

II.  His  enemies  ;  "  Until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy 
footstool.'^ 

III.  The  general  conquest  here  spoken  of,  when 
the  Lord  sets  his  Son  on  the  throne  of  his  kingdom. 

I.  Take  notice  of  this  placing  of  the  King  of  Zion 
ON  his  throne.     Our  Lord  himself  quoted  this  text, 

12 


266  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  it  is  continually  I'eferred  to  in  the  New  Testament. 
It  is  Christ,  the  anointed  Son,  to  whom  God  the  Father 
shall  say,  in  the  grand  constitution  of  Redemption,  "  Sit 
Thou  at  my  right  liand  :"  govern — subdue  ;  do  what 
no  potentate  on  earth  can  do — govern,  and  rule  over 
the  heart ;  for  "  thy  people  shall  be  wilUng  in  the  day 
of  thy  power."  Thy  converts  shall  cover  the  earth 
like  dew-drops,  "  in  the  beauties  of  hohness  from  the 
womb  of  the  morning."  Intercede  for  these — their 
Priest,  to  bless  them  in  my  name  ;  for  "the  Lord  hath 
sworn,  and  will  not  repent,  Thou  art  a  priest  forever 
after  the  order  of  Melchizedec." 

But,  are  their  none  that  will  set  their  faces  against 
this  Governor  ?  What  is  to  be  done  concerning  them  ? 
because  "  he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies 
under  his  feet."  "  The  Lord  a^  thy  right  hand  shall 
strike  through  kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath."  So  Ba- 
laam prophesied  :  "  There  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob, 
and  a  Sceptre  shall  rise  out  of  Israel,  and  shall  smite 
the  corners  of  Moab,"  or,  smite  through  the  princes  of 
Moab.  "  Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron  ; 
thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel." 
*'  I  have  set  my  King,"  my  Anointed,  "  upon  my  holy 
hill  of  Zion :"  and  he  shall  overthrow  all  opposition, 
either  by  his  grace  or  arm.  Lucifer  may  object ;  and 
the  heathen  rage  ;  the  rulers  may  take  counsel  together, 
— as  they  did,  and  as  they  have  often  done  ;  saying, 
"  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away 
their  cords  from  us  :"  but  "He  that  sitteth  in  the  heav- 
ens shall  laugh  :  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision. 
Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath,  and  vex 
them  in  his  sore  displeasure." 

If  this  is  the  determination  of  God,  well  may  the  ex- 
hortation follow,  "  Be  wise  now,  therefove,  O  ye  kings  : 
be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth.     Serve  the  Lord 


THE    KING    OF    ZION.  267 

with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembUng.  Kiss  the  Son 
lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish  i'rom  the  way,  when 
his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a  httle."  q.  d.  Your  attempt- 
ins;  to  ficrht  ao-ainst  the  Kinsf  of  heaven  is  so  foohsh.  so 
hopeless  in  the  result,  that  "  Bessed  are  all  they  that 
put  their  trust  in  him.'' 

Under  this  government  and  kingdom,  Jesus  Christ 
(whose  ascension  into  heaven  we  at  this  season  com- 
memorate) is  seeking  to  bring  man.  He  is  seeking  to 
recall  man  to  his  duty  as  a  wanderer  from  God  :  he  is 
teaching  him  to  know  himself,  and  to  know  his  God  ; 
that  he  may  lead  him  to  unite  himself  to  his  almighty 
Sovereign  in  a  covenant  relation.  '•  For  the  grace  of 
God  which  bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  to  all  men, 
teaching  us  that,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
we  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this 
present  world  ;  looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the 
glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might 
redeem  us  from  all  iniquity."  It  is  a  very  extra- 
ordinarv  fact — but  nevertheless  true — that  there  never 
was  any  scheme,  any  attempt  made  by  philosophers, 
any  attempt  made  by  legislators,  in  Avhich  a  man 
should  be  brought  back  to  his  God,  his  neighbor,  and 
himself!  This  is  the  darkness  being  past:  Sit,  and 
rule,  as  if  God  had  said,  that  there  may  be  light !  Rule, 
and  take  possession  of  the  heart :  rule,  in  destroying 
the  enemies  that  resist  thy  power:  rule,  and  make  the 
regenerate  complete !  "  For  unto  us  a  Child  is  born, 
unto  us  a  Son  is  given :  and  the  government  shall  be 
upon  his  shoulder :  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Won- 
derful, Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting 
Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of  his 
government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the 
throne  of  DavicJ,  and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it, 


268  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  to  establish  it  with  judgment  and  with  justice  from 
henceforth  even  forever.  The  zeal  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  will  perform  this." 

Yet,  from  the  beginning,  God  has  spoken  of  them  that 
stand  out,  as  opposers  :  "  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 
until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool  ;"  which  leads 
me  to  consider, 

II.  Who  are  these  enemies  ?  What  is  their  gen- 
eral character  ? 

I  shall  pass  by^an  account  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Lord  at  large,  to  fix  on  one  particular  class ;  our  Lord 
says,  "  He  that  is  not  with  me,  is  against  me."  Luke 
xi.  23. 

It  appears  that  all  are  enemies  by  nature.  "  For  we 
ourselves  also,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  were  sometimes 
foolish,  disobedient,  deceived,  serving  divers  lusts  and 
pleasures,  living  in  malice  and  env}^  hateful  and  hating 
one  another.  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of 
God  our  Saviour  toward  man  appeared,  not  by  works 
of  righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but  according 
to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  regenera- 
tion, and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  which  he  shed 
on  us  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour : 
that  being  justified  by  his  grace,  we  should  be  made  ' 
heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life."  Titus  iii. 
3 — 6.  If  we  consider  this  statement,  we  thall  see,  that 
it  is  evident  all  mankind  may  be  divided  into  two 
classes,  namely,  those  who  are  with  Christ,  and  those 
who  are  not  with  him ;  either  such  as  become  loyal 
subjects,  or  those  who  are  standing  out  in  rebellion. 

Having  laid  this  foundation,  we  may  easily  consider 
who  are  enemies.  There  may  be  various  forms  under 
which  a  thing  appears,  while  the  esselice  of  the  thing 
is  the  same ;  the  materials  may  be  alike,  and  yet  they 


'  THE    KING    OF    ZION.  269 

may  be  worked  up  into  a  variety  of  forms.  Sin  breaks 
out  into  a  thousand  different  appearances ;  yet  it  is  al- 
ways the  same  evil.  Some  of  the  enemies  of  which  I 
speak  come  in  a  very  different  way  from  such  as  ad- 
vance sword  in  hand  :  there  are  the  careless,  who  stare 
when  you  speak  of  "  the  King  of  glory."  An  animal 
feeding  on  a  mountain  would  turn  his  eyes  up  towards 
the  sun  without  any  intellect — without  any  knowledge 
of  the  properties  of  the  sun.  But  these  are  very  dif- 
ferent from  others,  who  are  yet  of  the  same  rank: — 
there  is  the  formalist ;  he  has  great  order  and  propriety, 
but  a  proud  heart,  a  stiff  neck  :  there  is  the  learned  en- 
emy ;  he  will  argue,  and  sow  tares ;  he  will  come  and 
doubt  if  Christ  is  really  God,  though  he  can  read  the 
text,  and  many  other  such  conclusive  scriptures ;  he 
will  tamper  and  trifle  with  the  most  important  doctrines; 
he  will  deny  the  atonement ;  and  if  you  talk  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  he  is  ready  to  say,  with  those  of  old,  "  I 
know  not  if  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost."  Another  ene- 
my, is  the  superstitious  devotee.  In  another  class,  see 
Saul,  the  Pharisee :  he  was  too  wise  to  turn  his  back 
on  all  religion,  and  too  needy 

But  the  time  would  fail  me  to  show  the  vast  variety 
of  enemies  :  I  will  mention  but  one  more  character — 
the  fraudulent  and  hypocritical  professor;  and  proba- 
bly there  is  none  worse.  For  a  man  to  come  like  Ju- 
das  Iscariot,  and  attach  himself  to  religion,  and  say, 
"  Hail,  Master !"  can  there  be  such  an  enemy  as  this  ? 
"  Many  walk,"  says  the  Apostle,  "of  whom  I  have  told 
you  often,  and  now  tell  you  even  weeping,  that  they 
are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ."  Phil.  iii.  18. 

Whether  men  think  to  succeed  by  mere  morality,  or 
by  cold  orthodoxy,  they  will  be  equally  "  found  want- 
ing." "  If,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  any  man  love  not  the 
Lord  Jesus,  let  him  be  anathema  maran-atha  ;"  q.  d 


270  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

If  he  does  not,  in  heart,  pay  a  due  homage  to  Christ, 
let  him  be  accursed  ;  and,  if  an  angel  from  heaven  were 
to  preach  any  other  Gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye  have 
received,  let  him  be  accursed.  We  can  easily  conceive 
if  a  traitor  were  to  hold  up  his  hand  from  the  bar  and. 
were  to  talk  of  his  goodness,  we  should  say — What  is 
this  to  the  case  ?  You  are  guilty  of  trying  to  dethrone 
the  King ! — And  so  it  may  be  said  to  every  one  who  is 
not  submitting  to  the  rule  of  Christ  in  his  heart,  and 
who  is  found  standing  out  against  his  being  exalted  in 
the  earth. 

Let  us  consider, 

III.   The  general  conquest  here  spoken  of. 

If  there  is  certainty  of  this — which  cannot  be  doubted 
— for,  says  the  Apostle,  "  He  must  reign,  till  he  hath 
put  all  enemies  under  his  feet,'"' — then,  blessed  are  all 
such  as  are  made  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power  ! 
Those  that  stand  out,  "  he  shall  strike  through."  Our 
Saviour  has  shown  this  in  a  parable.  "  A  certain  no- 
bleman went  into  a  far  country  to  receive  for  himself 
a  kingdom,  and  to  return :  and  he  called  his  ten  ser- 
vants, and  delivered  them  ten  pounds,  and  said  unto 
them,  Occupy  till  I  come.  But  his  citizens  hated  him, 
and  sent  a  message  after  him,  saying,  We  will  not 
have  this  man  to  reign  over  us." — And  what  is  the  re- 
sult of  this  rebellion? — "But  those  mine  enemies, 
which  would  not  that  I  should  reign  over  them,  bring 
hither,  and  slay  them  before  me  !"     Luke  xix.  1 1 — 27. 

But  we  cannot  pay  too  much  regard  to  the  peculiar 
manner  in  which  Christ  obtains  this  victory, — "  Behold 
my  servant,  whom  I  uphold ;  mine  elect,  in  whom  my 
soul  delighteth  ;  I  have  put  my  Spirit  upon  him  :  he  shall 
bring  forth  judgment  to  the  Gentiles,  iie  shall  not 
cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the 


THE    KING    OF    ZION.  271 

street."  He  is  not  ostentatious.  As  if  God  had  said 
— Your  kings  and  nobles  go  forth  with  noise,  but  the 
King  I  have  placed  at  my  right  hand  shall  work 
through  his  grand  design  with  grace,  truth,  and  meek- 
ness. "'Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  most  mighty, 
with  thy  glory  and  ihy  majesty.  And  in  thy  majesty 
ride  prosperously,  because  of  truth,  and  meekness,  and 
righteousness." — His  life  on  earth  may  be  that  of  "  a 
man  of  sorrows ;"  humility,  submission,  suffering,  and 
death ;  but  he  shall  send  his  Spirit,  who  shall  bring  in 
numerous  subjects  to  his  kingdom  ;  his  arrows  shall  be 
sharp  in  the  heart  of  the  King's  enemies,  whereby  the 
people  shall  fall  under  thee  ; — "  Thou  hast  the  dew  of 
thy  youth."  And  he  shall  come  again  with  glory. 
"  Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall 
see  him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  him  :''  he  shall 
come  as  the  "  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and 
the  ending,  saith  the  Lord,  which  is,  and  which  was, 
and  which  is  to  come,  the  Almiajhtv."  It  is  remarkable, 
that  St.  John,  when  about  to  describe  his  glorious 
vision  of  the  Son  of  God,  begins,  "  I,  John ;"  as  if  he 
had  said,  It  is  /  who  had  seen  my  Master  and  Lord  in 
the  days  of  his  humiliation,  when  ''the  Word  was  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  (and  we  beheld  his  glory, 
the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father)  full  of 
grace  and  truth." — Yet,  I  John,  when  I  saw  him,  as 
ascended,  in  his  Divine  glory,  fell  at  his  feet,  as  dead  ; 
until  "  he  laid  his  right  hand  upon  me,  saying  unto  me, 
Fear  not ;  I  am  the  first  and  the  last."  So  different 
did  he  appear ;  and  so  beyond  all  conceptions  of  human 
thought ! 

Our  Lord  Christ  shall  work  through  this  grand  design 
as  the  sun  brings  on  the  seasons.  God  works  through 
the  season,  and  brings  on  the  success,  with  silent  but 
irresistible  force.     It  was  prophesied  of  Christ,  "  Even 


272  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

he  shall  build  the  temple  of  the  Lord  ;  and  he  shall  bear 
the  glory,  and  shall  sit  and  rule  upon  his  throne;" 
Zech.  vi.  13.  He  shall  undertake  a  work  that  is  glo- 
rious in  itself  beyond  all  comparison.  In  a  calm,  holy, 
but  silent  progression,  he  formed  the  world :  in  a  calm,, 
holy  progression,  he  redeemed  the  world  :  in  the  same 
manner  he  carries  on  his  work  by  his  word  and  minis- 
ters ;  and  "  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay :"  and 
when  the  whole  design  is  fully  accomplished,  Christ 
will  be  seen  as  a  mighty  Conqueror ;  for  it  is  the  pecu- 
liar and  determined  design  of  God  to  glorify  his  Son 
Jesus.  "  And  I  saw,  and  behold  a  white  horse  :  and  he 
that  sat  on  him  had  a  bow ;  and  a  crown  was  given 
unto  him :  and  he  went  forth  conquering  and  to  con- 
quer." Though  the  conquering  is  different  from  the 
conquest,  yet  not  less  effectual.  It  stretches  out  arms 
of  mercy  to  those  who  are  still  enemies :  it  says.  Oh, 
come,  and  kiss  the  Son :  come,  and  enter  into  the 
design  of  God :  come,  and  do  homage  to  your  right- 
ful Sovereign !  But,  if  not — you  have  heard  of  the 
victory. 

But  if  you  ask,  who  among  you  are  the  particular 
persons  to  whom  I  speak  as  enemies — I  answer,  I  can- 
not tell :  I  speak  the  word  of  God,  and  I  would  do  it 
simply.  You  have  had  set  before  you  the  inaugura- 
tion OF  Christ,  as  the  King  of  Zion  ;  you  have  heard 
who  are  his  enemies  ;  and  the  certainty  of  his  con- 
quest over  them  all.  Here  is  enough  in  this  blessed 
book  to  instruct  you,  so  that  "he  who  runs  may  read," 
as  to  this  question.  For  it  is  as  certain  as  that  Christ 
has  not  yet  returned,  that  he  will  return  to  call  his 
citizens  to  account.  The  word  is  past ;  and  "  he  that 
believeth  not  is  condemned  already."  It  is  no  matter 
what  set  of  unbelievers  we  stand  among*;  whether  we 
are  classed  with  the  gay,  or  with  mere  hypocrites :  the 


THE    KING    OF    ZION.  273 

I 

question  is,  Are  we  enemies  ?  Brethren !  judge  ye 
yourselves!  But  it  is  not  enough  to  say  what  you 
think  on  this  subject :  take  the  standard  :  you  may 
think  this,  and  I  may  think  that,  and  another  contrary 
to  both :  but  take  the  balances  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
iudffe  ve  yourselves  ! 

Do  you  come,  like  "  the  wise  men,"  and  follow  the 
star,  and  find  the  King  of  glory  in  his  abasement  ?  Do 
you  say  with  Simeon,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
sevvant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy 
salvation  ?"  Do  you  say  with  Peter,  "  Lord,  to  whom 
shall  we  go  ?  thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life  ?"  and 
with  the  Apostle  Paul,  "  I  count  all  things  but  dung  and 
dross  for  Christ  ?" — this  I  esteem  my  highest  honor,  and 
joy,  namely,  to  "be  found  in  him?"  Like  John,  do 
you  repose  on  his  bosom  ?  With  Thomas,  do  you  say, 
"  Let  us  go,  that  w^e  may  die  with  him  ?"  With  Ste- 
phen, are  you  willing  to  set  your  face  against  a  corrupt 
world — nay,  against  a  corrupt  Church — even  though 
the  leaders  may  be  men  of  consequence  ?  Are  you 
willing  to  be  a  solitary  witness  to  the  truth,  if  you  can 
be  no  other  ?  and  are  you  ready  to  lay  down  your  life 
for  it,  as  the  martyrs  did  ? 

If,  instead  of  all  this,  you  find  it  the  reverse  with 
yourselves,  then  why  need  you  stand  to  consider  if  you 
are  enemies  ?  Why  do  you  not  rather  consider,  if 
there  be  not  a  root  of  enmity  ?  I  say  this,  that  you 
may  know  yourselves.  This  is  certain,  that  till  you 
are  made  willing  that  Christ  should  reign  over  you,  all 
I  have  been  saying  must  be  displeasing  to  you.  You 
do  not  like  it ;  I  know  you  do  not  like  it.  But,  oh, 
contend  not  with  the  Strong !  harden  not  your  heart  1 
for  He  that  has  set  his  King  upon  his  holy  hill  of  Zion, 
will  assuredly  make  every  enemy  to  become  his  foot- 
stool. 

12* 


274  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

To  such  as  have  become  subject  to  Christ,  I  would 
say,  Be  not  alarmed,  or  moved,  by  the  state  of  the 
world,  while  Christ  is  coming  to  take  possession  of  his 
kingdom.  There  may  appear  confusion,  and  there 
may  be  storms.  But  remember  what  Csesar  said  to 
the  pilot  when  sailing  during  the  storm,  "  Be  not 
alarmed,  for  thou  dost  carry  Caesar  and  his  fortunes  !" 
This  was  an  empty  boast ;  for  there  was  but  one  King 
that  could  walk  the  waves,  and  who  could  say,  Fear 
not,  you  unite  yourself  to  power,  to  wisdom,  to  love,  to 
victory  !  You  are  accounted  as  those  that  are  "kings 
and  priests,"  and  who  shall  reign  with  Christ.  If  we 
belong  to  him,  we  shall  partake  in  his  conquests  :  every 
believer,  the  weakest,  shall  "  reign  with  him."  In  a 
stormy  night,  what  a  comfort  is  it  to  know  that  I  may 
lay  my  head  on  the  bosom  of  Omnipotence — to  know 
that  nothing  is  wanted  but  a  full  confidence  in  him  ! 
Havino;  taken  hold  of  his  hand,  without  whom  not  even 
a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground,  I  may  cast  every  care 
upon  him.  Let  this  be  the  believer's  aim,  in  all  things 
to  magnify  the  arm  of  his  power. 


CMIST  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

And  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head  over 
all  things  to  the  Church.— Ephes.  i.  22.  [1803.] 

There  is  a  kind  of  religion  which  may  serve  a  man 
in  ease  and  security,  but  it  will  not  do  in  sickness  and 
trouble  :  a  man  will  then  want  something  that  is  vital 
and  interior.  St.  Paul  is  here  speaking  to  a  Church  in 
deep  waters,  and  calling  upon  it  to  look  to  its  Head, 


CHRIST  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  CHURCH.       275 

who  was  above  the  waters.     Let  us  consider  Christ,  as 
he  is, — 

I.  A  Head  of  representation. 
II.  A  Head  of  direction. 
III.   A  Head  of  influence. 

I.  Christ  is  a  head  of  representation.  We  are 
taught  this  perpetually  in  the  Scriptures.  See  He- 
brews iii.  1  :  "  Wherefore,  holy  brethren,  partakers  of 
the  heavenly  calling,  consider  the  Apostle  and  High 
Priest  of  your  profession,  Christ  Jesus  :"  and  again, 
chap.  iv.  14, — "  Seeing  then  that  we  have  a  great  High 
Priest,  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our  profession :"  and  chap. 
viii.  1, — "  We  have  such  an  High  Priest,  who  is  set  on 
the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  the  Majesty  in  the 
heavens."  But  Christ  is  not  only  our  representative  in 
the  character  of  a  great  High  Priest,  but  he  has  as- 
cended as  a  king  and  conqueror,  leading  captivity  cap- 
tive. Now  this,  brethren,  forms  a  constitution  : 
Christ  was  given  by  the  Father  to  be  the  Church's 
head.  We  are  not  to  teach  God,  but  to  learn  of  him  ; 
and  he  has  told  us,  that  Christ  is  "  made  of  God  unto 
us  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion." "Through  him  we  both  have  access  by  one 
Spirit  unto  the  Father."  "Now  therefore  ye  are  no 
more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow-citizens  with 
the  saints  and  of  the  household  of  God  ;  and  are  built 
upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus 
Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone."  Christ  is 
the  Church's  head  by  way  of  eminency,  authority,  and 
oneness  of  nature  between  him  and  his  Church  :  there- 
fore he  says,  "  Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also :"  and 
upon  this  ground  he  prayeth,  "  That  they  all  may  be 
one,  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee  ;  that 


276  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

they  also  may  be  one  in  us."  There  is  a  strict,  inti- 
mate, and  close  union  betwixt  him  and  his  Church,  as 
betwixt  head  and  members  :  a  union  mystical,  spiritual, 
supernatural  and  indissoluble.  He  is  a  head  of  do- 
minion and  authority  to  the  whole  creation  ;  but  to  his 
Church  in  particular  he  is, 

II.  A  Head  of  direction. 

As  the  head  directs  the  members,  so,  while  our  Lord 
was  upon  earth,  he  was  continually  discovering  to  his 
disciples  the  nature  of  the  world,  and  the  nature  of  his 
kingdom — pointing  out,  as  a  director,  their  course  :  "  If 
ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments :"  "  I  will  not 
leave  you  comfortless"  or  orphans :  you  shall  never 
want  a  friend,  a  guide,  a  director ;  for  I  am  with  you, 
as  such,  even  to  the  end.  When  he  came  from  heaven 
— when  he  was  crucified — when  he  arose  and  ascended, 
— in  all  these  things  he  was  acting  as  Head  of  his  mys- 
tical body,  the  Church ;  and  he  has,  in  his  Church's 
name,  taken  possession  of  heaven,  as  a  purchased  in- 
heritance for  her.  God  "  gave  him"  to  be  head  over 
all  things  to  his  Church.  When  his  disciple  John  was 
banished  to  the  isle  of  Patmos,  he  still  showed,  though 
there  was  but  one  disciple  there,  that  he  was  God  over 
all :  *'  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead  ;"  and  if  I  have 
but  one  disciple  in  Patmos,  I  will  be  there  also,  to 
comfort,  and  support,  and  uphold  him.  If  you  have  no 
friend  upon  earth,  yet  take  comfort  in  this,  that  Christ 
is  exalted — that  we  are  his  body,  and  he  is  our  Head. 
There  is  implied  in  this  metaphor, 

III.  That  Christ  is  a  Head  of  influence.  As  the 
head  gives  nourishment  to  the  body,  so  there  is  a  com- 
munication of  influences  from  Christ  to  all  his  members. 
As  Head  of  his  Church,  he  is  the  fountain  of  life  and 


CHRIST,  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  CHURCH.       277 

influence :  and  if  there  are  any  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness— if  any  good  works — if  any  virtue  or  praise — all 
is  derived  from  him.  Christ  says,  "  I  am  the  vine  ;  ye 
are  the  branches:  he  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him, 
the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit :  for  without  me  ye 
can  do  nothing."  We  are  poor  and  needy  ;  we  cannot 
think  a  good  thought  of  ourselves ;  yet,  as  our  Divine 
Head  is  ascended,  we  endeavor  to  "  seek  those  things 
that  are  above,"  and  we  believe  that  we  ourselves  shall 
ascend  into  glory  also.  He  has  said,  "  Thy  dead  men 
shall  live :  together  with  my  dead  body  shall  they  arise:" 
q.  d.  I  will  quicken  thy  dead :  I  am  a  Head  of  vital 
influence.  "  I  live,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me."  I  live  by  faith,  I  derive  influence; 
and  if  I  am  enabled  to  do  any  thing  for  my  Master's 
glory,  it  is  because  "  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the 
flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God." 

Let  us  now  consider,  what  is  the  practical  use  of 
this  subject :  for  to  settle  a  doctrine  only,  and  there 
leave  it,  is  not  sufficient.  The  success  and  efficacy  of 
the  word  preached  depends  upon  a  particular  applica- 
tion of  it  to  every  man's  conscience. 

In  the  first  place.  We  are  to  form  a  distinct  idea 

OF  THIS  privilege    OF    BEING    UNITED    TO    ChRIST, aS  a 

Head  of  representation,  direction,  and  influence. 

And  here  we  are  to  recollect,  that  God  speaks  to  us 
the  reverse  from  what  a  metaphysician  or  philosopher 
would  do  :  he  does  not  teach  us  by  abstract  theorems. 
He  tells  us  he  is  a  father ;  that  "  like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  own  children,  even  so  is  ^  the  Lord  merciful  unto 
them  that  fear  him."  And  as  a  child  runs  to  its  parent 
upon  every  occasion,  so  may  we  go  to  God,  as  our 
Father  in  Christ  Jesus.  Christ  tells  us  that  he  is  the 
vine,  and  we  are  the  branches  :  he  the  head,  we  the 
body.     With  respect  to  a  complication  of  interests,  as 


278  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTg. 

well  as  a  communication  of  influences,  that  he  is  as 
the  husband  to  the  wife  ;  they  stand  and  fall,  live  and 
die,  together  :  that  his  God  is  our  God  ;  and  his  Father 
our  Father. 

Now,  if  I  am  taught  to  form  this  view  of  the  Church's, 
privilege,  is  it  not  of  vast  importance  that  I  be  joined 
to  it  ?  Is  it  not  the  very  picture  of  heaven  ?  Is  not 
Christianity  a  high  calling  ?  Let  them  put  Joseph  into 
the  prison — Daniel  into  the  den  of  lions — Paul  and 
Silas  into  the  dungeon — Christ  is  with  them  !  Is  there 
a  Christian  now  in  trouble  or  temptation  ? — you  cannot 
separate  him  from  Christ  his  Head  !  If  he  wants  to 
speak  to  his  Divine  Master — if  he  wants  to  pray — it  is 
his  privilege  to  look  up,  like  Stephen,  to  heaven,  and 
see  Christ  at  the  right  hand  of  God, — praying  for  him 
even  when  he  cannot  pray  for  himself.  The  promise 
is,  "  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be 
with  thee ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  over- 
flow thee."  The  billows  may  rise,  and  toss  themselves 
proudly,  but  the  Christian's  Head  is  above  the  waters: 
"  The  Lord  sitteth  above  the  waterfloods."  I  repeat, 
we  are  taught  to  form  a  distinct  idea  of  this  privilege. 
Every  man  may  learn  from  this  what  is  the  grand 
object  or  interest — the  summuni  honum.* 

If  a  man  thinks  at  all,  he  will  say  to  himself, — Who 
am  I  ?  and  whither  am  I  going  ?  And  if  he  sees — as 
indeed  he  cannot  help  seeing — that  he  is  a  poor  disor- 
dered creature,  in  a  disordered  world,  and  that  he  must 
have  somewhere  to  set  the  sole  of  his  foot, — what  is  his 
inquiry  ?  Surely,  it  is  this  : — can  I  rest  upon  any  thing 
that  will  bear  me  up  ?  any  thing  that  I  can  call  sub- 
stance ?  Where  is  there  such  a  thing  ?  where  is 
there  such  a  hope  ?     The  text  furnishes  an  answer : 

*  Among  the  heathen  philosophers  there  were  280  opinions  as  to  what 
this  was. — Ed. 


CHRIST  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  CHURCH.       279 

God  hath  exalted  his  Son  Jesus,  "  and  hath  put  all 
things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head  over  all 
things  to  his  Church  !"  "  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega  :" 
I  rest  there  : — take  care  how  you  rest  elsewhere  ! 

What,  then,  is  the  right  prayer  of  a  creature  so 
needy,  so  dependent?  The  Collect  of  this  day  will 
furnish  one : — 

"  O  God  the  King  of  glory,  who  hast  exalted  thine 
only  Son  Jesus  Christ  with  great  triumph  unto  thy 
kinsrdom  in  heaven  ;  we  beseech  thee,  leave  us  not 
comfortless  ;  but  send  to  us  thine  Holy  Ghost  to  com- 
fort us,  and  exalt  us  unto  the  same  place  whither  our 
Saviour  Christ  is  gone  before,  who  liveth  and  reigneth 
with  thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  one  God,  world  without 
end.  Amen."* 

Secondlv,  Let  us  contemplate  the  grand  object 
set  before  us  in  the  gospel.  At  this  time,  as  a  na- 
tion, we  have  much  to  fear :  for  aught  we  know,  the 
destroyer  may  be  on  his  way.f  Who  knows  what  a 
holy  jealous  God  may  do  to  scourge  such  a  nation  as 
this  !  I  do  not  know  any  thing  which  shocks  me  so 
much  as  when  I  hear  men  talking  of  our  "  fleets  and 
armies  !"  Does  not  every  one  know  how  little  fleets 
and  armies  can  do  if  God  has  written  destruction  upon 
them  ?  What,  then,  is  our  safety  ?  W^hat  will  pre- 
serve us  from  ruin  ?  What  is  our  hope  ?  That  Christ 
is  the  Head  of  his  Church  !  That  He  who  stopped  a 
proud  persecutor,  and  said,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  perse- 
cutest  thou  me  ?"  can  arrest  the  progress  of  our  ene- 
mies. So  then,  when  proud  billows  rise,  and  proud 
speeches  are  made,  we  may  remember  there  is  One 
who  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  is  King  of 
the  Church  as  well  as  Head  ;  and  who  rules  and  gov- 

*  Collect  for  the  Sunday  after  Ascension-day. 

•f  When  threatened  with  invasion  by  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 


280  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

erns  all  things.  Then,  like  the  Prophet  Habakkuk,  we 
may  say,  "  Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom, 
neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines  ;  yet  will  I  rejoice  in 
the  Lord.  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation." 

Thirdly,  From  this  subject,  we  may  form  an  esti- 
mate OF  OUR  OWN  CHARACTER.  For,  notwithstanding 
our  attendance  on  public  ordinances,  we  have  need  to 
ask  ourselves, — Am  I  living  in  ignorance  of  this  Divine 
Head  ?  Am  I  living  without  communion  and  fellow- 
ship with  a  risen  Saviour  ?  Am  I  ready  to  join  the 
scoflTer  when  I  hear  of  deriving  influence  from  him  ? 
For,  whatever  I  know,  if  I  know  not  this,  I  am  living 
without  Christ ;  without  any  vital  union  to  him  :  and 
if  so,  in  vain  will  it  be  to  say,  Lord,  "  we  have  eaten 
and  drunk  in  thy  presence,  and  thou  hast  taught  in  our 
streets.  But  he  shall  say,  I  tell  you,  I  know  you  not, 
whence  ye  are."  Such  professors  are  described,  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  as  "not  holding  the  Head, 
from  which  all  the  body  by  joints  and  bands  having 
nourishment  ministered,  and  knit  together,  increaseth 
with  the  increase  of  God."  "  Holding  the  Head"  is 
holding  the  life  ;  for  without  him  we  can  do  nothing. 

On  the  other  hand, — Am  I  convinced  that  I  am  a 
poor  lost  sinner,  and  that  there  is  no  health  in  me  ? 
and,  in  consequence  of  this,  do  I  desire  to  be  united  to 
the  living  Head  ?  It  is  true  that  I  may  be  brought  down 
very  low,  and  that  in  an  hour  of  temptation  my  heart 
may  sink  ;  yet  what  though  I  come  down — down — 
down — as  low  as  ever  poor  mortal  was, — yet  if  I  can 
look  up  to  my  living  Head,  if  I  can  look  up  and  regard 
that  head  that  was  once  pierced  with  thorns,  but  is 
now  exalted, — then,  I  may  recollect  that  I  have  a  sym- 
pathizing friend  ;  and  I  can  say  with  the  Apostle, 
**  Our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  work- 


god's  message  to  hezekiah.  281 

eth  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory."     2  Cor.  iv.  17. 


GOD'S  MESSAGE  TO  HEZEKIAH. 

Set  thine  house  in  order ;  for  thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live. 

IsA.  xxxviii.  1.  [1804.] 

So  great  is  the  stupidity  and  infatuation  in  man — 
such  is  his  intoxication — such  his  carnality  of  heart, 
that  he  is  disposed  to  go  on  minding  the  foolish  trifling 
things  of  the  moment,  and  foro;etting  the  great  and 
important  things  of  eternity.  He  acts  as  if  he  were 
never  to  die.  Little  insignificant  things  are  magnified 
— made  of  importance — allowed  to  lie  near  his  heart — 
while  the  one  thing  needful — the  greatest  and  most 
interesting  concern,  is  pushed  into  a  corner — to  be 
thought  of  at  a  more  convenient  season!  There  is 
therefore  need  of  such  an  admonition  as  this. 

There  is  sometimes  a  vain  boasting  in  religion  :  but 
however  people  may  talk  when  they  do  not  consider,  I 
will  venture  to  assert  that  there  is  not  a  thinking  man 
upon  earth,  whom  such  a  message  as  this  which  was 
brought  to  Hezekiah,  would  not  alarm.  He  has  talked 
about  dying — he  has  thought  of  it  if  he  is  really  a 
thinking  man,  and  has  made  some  preparation  for  it : 
but,  when  it  comes,  and  the  prophet  says,  Set  thine 
house  in  order — set  about  the  great  work — prepare  to 
die  !  there  is  not  a  thinking  man  upon  earth,  whom  that 
message  would  not  alarm.  What,  then,  must  be  the 
case  with  the  unprepared  and  impenitent,  who  have 
never  thought  or  inquired  respecting  the  foundation  on 
which  a  sinner  must  stand  ;  nor  regarded  the  subject 


282  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

when  set  before  them?  and  yet,  it  must  be  said  to  them 
— it  must  shortly  be  said  to  each  of  them — Thou  art 
but  a  dead  man  ! 

In  this  admonition  there  is  implied,  1st,  Set  thy  tem- 
poral affairs  in  order :  thou  art  a  king ;  put  every  thing 
in  a  proper  posture  for  removal ;  thou  hast  had  special 
privileges,  and  must  give  an  account  of  them  ;  for 
"  thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live."  It  is  an  ornament  to  a 
Christian  in  his  profession,  that  he  is  a  man  of  order, 
and  a  pattern  to  others  as  respects  his  temporal  mat- 
ters. Thus,  in  regard  to  his  family,  he  will  look  around 
and  say, — I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  duty  to  each ; 
I  have  done  what  I  could  for  them. 

But,  2nd,  and  more  especially,  it  implies, — "Set  thine 
house  in  order"  in  respect  to  thy  spiritual  affairs, — in 
regard  to  the  things  which  concern  salvation  :  so  that 
when  God  comes,  thou  mayest  be  ready  to  give  in  thy 
account.  For,  are  we  not  stewards,  who  must  give 
account  of  our  stewardship?  Are  we  not  ^soldiers, 
who  have  to  fio-ht  before  receivino;  a  crown  ?  Have 
we  not  a  "  course"  to  finish  before  receiving  a  prize  ? 

If  we  consider  what  death  is — the  passing  from  a 
changeable  state  into  an  eternal  and  fixed  one — it  will 
appear  the  most  awful  consideration  in  the  world ! 
Therefore,  "Set  thine  house  in  order:"  put  thy  tempo- 
ral and  spiritual  affairs  in  such  a  posture,  as  becomes 
a  dying  man  who  must  shortly  appear  before  God. 

3rd.  But  there  seems  to  be  something  further:  "Set 
thine  house  in  order,"  for  thou  art  specially  warned. 
Another  may  be  dvincr,  and  not  know  it ;  but  thou  art 
dying  under  an  express  declaration  of  its  approach. 
It  is  God's  plan  in  his  moral  government,  that  a  hum- 
bling dispensation  should  follow  a  prosperous  one. 
The  best  of  us  need  admonition,  and  to  be  called  up  to 
reflection.     We  are  acting  as  if  we  were  not  to  die  at 


god's  message  to  hezekiah.  283 

all. — The  world  does  not  know  what  dying  is:  "The 
man  is  gone!"  they  say;  such  a  one  "has  put  an  end 
to  his  existence !"  This  is  an  atheistical  way  of  talk- 
ing. Is  there  an  end  of  the  man  ?  was  there  an  end 
of  Dives  ?  was  there  an  end  of  Lazarus  ? 

While  God  employs  ministers — poor  sinners  to  stand 
up  and  speak  to  others — earthen  vessels,  in  which  he  is 
pleased  to  put  his  treasure,  and  to  convey  it ;  yet,  it  is 
not  uncommon  for  God  to  become  a  preacher  expressly 
himself ;  as  if  he  should  say  to  a  man — You  have  heard 
from  Sunday  to  Sunday  what  is  said  from  the  pulpit, 
and  have  listened  in  a  formal  and  careless  manner  ;  but 
I  will  make  you  feel  that  I  am  here  :  I  will  make  you 
feel  the  truths  preached  :  I  will  shake  thy  frame :  I  will 
open  the  grave  before  thine  eyes :  I  will  bring  it  sensi- 
bly before  thee :  I  will  take  one,  or  two,  or  three  out 
of  thy  family  :  I  will  make  thee  feel  that  thou  art  thy- 
self within  sight  of  the  pit :  I  will  place  thee  as  among 
the  dead :  I  will  make  thee  contemplate  the  eternal 
world  as  at  hand  :  I  will  sav  to  thee,  "  Set  thine  house 
in  order:  for  thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live." 

Did  you  ever  know  any  thing  of  this  ?  Did  you  ever 
know  what  it  was  to  look  death  in  the  face  ?  If  you 
have,  I  will  ask  you  another  question — What  was  your 
view  of  the  world  at  that  time  ?  What  was  your  view 
of  those  fond  imaginations  that  have  taken  hold  of  your 
heart  in  times  past  ?  What,  then,  did  you  think  of  re- 
ligion ?  What,  then,  did  you  think  of  the  Lord  of  life? 
What,  then,  did  you  think  of  a  foundation  to  set  the 
soul  of  your  foot  upon  ?  What,  then,  of  Christ  ?  What, 
then,  of  his  atoning  blood,  shed  upon  the  cross  to  pur- 
chase pardon — to  reconcile  thee  to  God — and  to  make 
death  gain  ?  And  let  me  ask  you,  now  that  you  are 
restored  to  life  and  health — Are  these  things  different 
to  what  they  were  then  ?     Does  the  coldness  that  is 


284  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

come  upon  conscience  since  you  have  got  over  your 
sickness,  and  have  been  mixing  with  the  world,  take 
from  the  reahty  of  these  things  ?  If  they  appeared  so 
important  in  contemplation,  what  must  they  appear  in 
vision  in  another  world  !  You  see,  therefore,  that  it  is 
a  most  important  message  to  be  brought  to  a  man's 
conscience — "  Set  thine  house  in  order ;"  especially 
since  it  must  be  said  to  everv  one — Thou  art  but  a 
dead  man  ; — if  not  to-day,  thou  shalt  be  to-morrow. 

4.  The  great  wisdom  of  man,  therefore,  is  to  know 
how  to  set  his  house  in  order ;  i.  e.  to  put  his  heart,  and 
affairs,  into  such  a  posture,  as  that  whenever  death 
comes,  he  may  be  ready  and  prepared  ; — however  he 
may  be  alarmed  at  the  moment — yet  that  he  may  be 
ready  to  meet  it  without  fear  of  consequences. 

If  you  will  set  out  this  next  year  as  a  truly  wise  and 
rational  creature,  begin  with  considering  your  state  as 
a  dying  sinner.  And  though  you  may  not  all  at  once 
be  able  to  enter  into  the  comfort,  and  encouragement, 
and  privileges  of  the  Gospel — yet,  set  about  religion ; 
think  of  your  eternal  affairs ;  consider  that  death  may 
be  at  hand.  Setting  your  house  in  order,  will  not 
make  death  come  the  sooner,  but  the  safer.  Begin 
with  your  state :  consider  that  death  will  strip  you  of 
every  thing  like  disguise  or  pretence :  begin  with  your 
own  heart;  and  begin  with  God.  Putting  off  the  mat- 
ter will  only  harden  your  conscience.  Begin,  I  say, 
with  your  heart ;  cafry  it  to  God,  and  beg  of  him  to 
cleanse  the  thoughts  of  your  heart  by  the  inspiration 
of  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  enable  you  to  prepare  lor  death 
and  eternity. 

The  great  business  in  coming  to  the  house  of  God  is 
not  to  hear  the  speculations  of  a  preacher  upon  some 
particular  passage  of  Scripture,  and  to  learn  what  may 


god's  message  to  hezekiah.  285 

be  said  upon  it :  but  to  bring  the  matter  home  to  our 
conscience,  as  it  concerns  ourselves. 

In  making  an  application  of  this  discourse,  we  are  to 
ask  ourselves — Is  this  an  important  affair?  Is  this 
every  man's  concern  ?  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it : 
this  is  every  man's  matter ;  for  every  man  will  soon 
be  called  upon  to  set  his  house  in  order,  because  he 
shall  die,  and  not  live :  and  though  we  are  not  kings, 
yet  we  have  a  grand  concern  in  the  salvation  of  our 
souls. 

Where  are  those  that  yesterday  attracted  the  eyes 
of  all  around  them  ?  Where  are  they  now  ?  Where 
are  the  mighty  actors  that  kept  the  world  awake? 
Where  are  many  that  worshipped  with  us  in  this  house 
in  the  year  that  has  just  passed  ?  They  are  now  in 
their  silent  graves :  and  we  may  be  placed  in  ours 
in  less  space  of  time.  Are  our  friends  gone,  and  are 
we  following  them,  having  no  certainty  that  we  shall 
continue  another  day  before  we  do  follow  them,  and 
have  we  not  a  special  warning  ?  Have  we  not  been 
warned  again  and  again  that  we  are  as  the  grass — that 
our  life  is  but  an  hand's  breadth — that  we  are  dust  ? 
Another  year  is  now  cut  off  from  our  life :  what  so 
properly  claims  our  attention  as  setting  our  affairs,  for 
both  worlds,  in  order?  We  have  a.  vast  concern, 
whether  we  be  rich  or  poor :  for  as  a  good  writer*  very 
properly  observes,  "  My  death  will  be  no  more  regarded 
by  the  world  than  that  of  a  worm  or  a  fly ;  but  is  of 
infinite  consequence  to  me." 

While  I  am,  therefore,  with  a  feeble  voice  calling 
you  to  recollection,  I  would  say  to  the  young — Do  no  I 
feel  secure  of  life  because  you  are  young.  God  may 
call  you  away  before  your  father  or  your  mother  ;  for 
small  and  great  will  stand  before  his  judgment  seat.   You 

*  Adam's  Private  Thoughts. 


286  ORTGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

are  old  enough  to  consider  the  great  truths  of  the  Gos- 
pel ;  old  enough  to  know  that  you  are  sinners,  and  that 
you  need  a  Saviour.  Your  conscience  will  declare  in 
the  day  of  judgment  that  God  continually  spoke  to  you 
in  his  word,  and  called  you  to  repent,  and  prepare  to 
meet  him  ;  and  you  will  be  able  to  urge  no  excuse 
why  you  should  not  have  sought  his  favor,  and  ob- 
tained pardon  of  your  sins. 

To  the  sanguine,  and  busy,  I  would  say — To  what 
end  is  all  your  turmoil  and  energy  in  the  things  of  this 
life  only  ?  Have  you  never  considered  that,  in  a  very 
few  years,  others  will  be  dividing  your  substance,  and 
smiling  at  your  anxiety  and  toil  ?  And  while  they  are 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  your  labor,  where  will  you  be  ? 
What  will  have  become  of  your  poor  soul,  for  \\  hich 
you  made  no  provision?  Death  is  advancing  with 
rapid  progress :  how  often  do  we  see  the  strong  and 
vigorous  snatched  away,  leaving  behind  them  the 
trembling,  the  sick,  and  the  aged  !  This  is  a  certain 
truth,  that  if  you  die  without  any  preparation — without 
setting  at  least  your  eternal  affairs  in  order — you  Vvill 
have  no  better  prospect  than  the  rich  man  who  died, 
and  was  buried ;  and  "  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
being  in  torments !" 

The  subject  is  peculiarly  addressed  to  the  aged ; — to 
those  who,  in  the  course  of  nature,  cannot  remain  long 
upon  earth.  Do  you  still  stand  trembling  on  the  brink 
of  eternity,  and  yet  have  not  begun  to  set  your  house 
in  order  ?  This  is  one  of  the  most  melancholy  spec- 
tacles that  can  be  presented  to  a  thinking  mind  !  There 
is  no  way  of  passing  the  king  of  terrors  safely,  but 
through  faith  in  Him  who  conquered  death,  and  gave 
his  children  the  privilege  of  singing,  "  O  death,  where 
is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?"  In  the 
passage  before  us,  we  learn  our  remedy  in  all  cases, 


god's  message  to  hezekiah.  287 

however  desperate.  We  are  taught  how  to  turn  our 
faces  to  the  wall,  and  say  : — Thou  art  indeed  but  a 
dead  man,  whom  none  of  thy  fellow- creatures  can  help  : 
still,  O  my  soul,  thou  canst  look  to  Him  who  is  "the 
resurrection  and  the  life  :"  thou  canst  fly  to  Christ,  and 
plead  with  him,  and  weep  sore  for  all  thy  past  sins. 
Instead  of  imitating  Adam,  in  seeking  to  hide  himself 
in  a  thicket  for  shelter,  thou  canst  come  to  God,  em- 
bracing the  great  remedy  he  has  provided  in  the  Gospel. 
Oh,  it  is  an  awful  thing  indeed  to  sit  for  years  under 
the  sound  of  the  Gospel,  and  yet  never  to  learn  what 
is  the  crreat  remedv  it  holds  forth  ! 

Satan  comes  in,  to  be  the  counsellor  of  that  man 
who  will  not  take  God's  counsel.  It  is  a  melancholy 
thing,  says  he,  to  talk  of  dying,  and  setting  thy  house 
in  order  :  therefore,  choose  something  cheerful  and  en- 
tertaining :  get  into  company,  and  drown  thought: 
have  recourse  to  amusements  :  death  will  not  come 
yet :  keep  up  your  spirits  :  take  an  opiate :  it  will  be 
time  enough  to  repent  upon  a  death-bed! 

Let  me  caution  you- to  distinguish  the  method  which 
Hezekiah  took  (and  which  is  left  for  our  example)  from 
what  I  call  a  death-bed  repentance.  His  v^^as  not  a 
death-bed  repentance  ;  nothing  like  it!  Hezekiah  was 
like  a  child  whose  father  had  sent  him  a  threatening 
messa2:e  :  he  had  not  now  to  find  out  who  his  father 
was,  and  the  way  to  him  :  he  had  not  now  to  begin  the 
great  work  of  salvation :  but  he  was  to  have  recourse 
to  a  Friend  whom  he  knew  he  had  ;  who  would  be  one 
still  ;  to  whom  he  could  commit  his  all ;  and  to  whom 
he  could  appeal,  as  to  an  heart-searching  God,  before 
whom  he  had  walked.  He  did  not  bring  this  as  his 
title  why  the  Lord  should  be  merciful  to  him,  but  as  an 
evidence  that  he  had  really  loved  and  served  that  God 
to  whom  he  could  now  fly  in  the  day  of  trouble. 


288  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

1st.  This  history  teaches  us,  that  when  the  Lord 
strikes  our  only  method  is  to  turn  to  him :  it  teaches 
us,  that  there  is  no  way  of  flying  from  the  rod  of  a 
father  but  to  the  bosom  of  a  father :  it  teaches  us  that 
it  is  a  blessed  dispensation  and  rod  that  drives  us  to 
God.  The  Lord  is  a  refuge  in  the  most  desperate  cases  : 
and  here  it  is  that  the  Christian  feels  his  ground  to  dif- 
fer from  that  of  a  worldly  man.  For  what  remedy  has 
the  world  in  this  case — "  Set  thine  house  in  order :  for 
thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live  ?"  What  could  the  world 
have  said  to  Hezekiah  ?  What  could  all  the  kings  of 
the  earth  have  done  in  this  case  ?  What  way  or  re- 
source has  nature  in  such  a  case  as  this  ?  The  utmost 
that  wealth,  power,  interest,  art,  or  science  could  pos- 
sibly say,  would  be — "  We  can  do  nothing ! — nothing 
at  all !  thou  art  but  a  dead  man,  and  we  cannot  give 
life." 

2ndly.  This  history  teaches  us  our  true  remedy  in  all 
cases  :  we  have  to  study  the  habit  of  a  child  :  we  must 
arise  and  go  to  our  Father,  turn  to  him  who  smiteth, 
and  plead  with  him.  We  are  not  to  put  off  this  to  a 
death-bed,  and  say — then,  I  will  turn  to  God.  It  must 
be  done  now,  or  not  at  all.  If  we  have  not  formed 
this  habit  before,  we  cannot  then  turn  to  God  as  Heze- 
kiah did,  knowing  that  he  was  running  to  a  father  and 
a  friend  with  whom  he  was  acquainted.  King  Asa 
knew  better  what  to  do  with  an  army  than  with  a  dis- 
ease :  in  his  sickness  he  was  tempted  to  lean  upon  the 
physicians.  His  fault  was  not  the  making  use  of  phy- 
sicians, but  the  leaning  upon  them.  God  allows  us  to 
express  our  wants — to  use  means — and  to  put  him  upon 
acting  for  us  :   this  is  the  right  way. 

Srdly.  Let  us  stand  encouraged  by  the  success  which 
attended  the  prayer  of  Hezekiah,  and  w^hich  appears  in 
all  those  cases  which  the  Scripture  brings  forward ; 


GOD  B    MESSAGK    TO    IIEZEKIAH.  289 

whereb}^  we  are  taught  that  *'  the  Lord  is  nigh  unto 
them  that  call  upon  him:"  but  mark!  "to  them  that 
call  upon  him  in  truth  :"  there  are  some  of  whom  it  is 
said — "  Then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  but  I  will  not 
answer."  Prov.  i.  28.  Hezekiah  could  say, "  Remem- 
ber, O  Lord,  how  I  have  walked  before  thee :"  I  hear 
thy  voice ;  I  tremble  before  thee :  it  is  true,  I  am  but 
as  a  dead  man  ;  but  remember,  I  beseech  thee,  that  I 
am  thy  child  ;  that  J  am  walking  before  thee,  and  with 
thee;  "and  Hezekiah  wept  sore."  Here  was  a  ten- 
derness of  spirit — a  contrite  heart,  to  which  the  Lord 
has  said  he  is  nio-h :  and  we  mis-ht  be  sure  that  the  Lord 
v/ould  answer  him  either  in  kind  or  in  kindness.  Here 
was  also  sincerity,  which  is  no  small  thing  in  religion  ; 
you  cannot  think  too  much  of  it,  if  you  do  not  make 
a  title  of  it,  and  put  it  in  the  place  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  righteousness.  There  are  some  who  are  ignorant, 
to  this  hour,  of  the  scheme  of  redemption  ;  which  treats 
with  man  as  a  sinner ;  which  shows  that  there  is  no 
remission  of  sin  without  shedding  of  blood  ;  that  no  blood 
can  redeem  the  soul  but  the  blood  of  Him  who  was  at 
once  God  and  man,  who  purchased  the  Church  by  his 
own  blood.  Hezekiah  did  not  bring  sincerity  as  a  title^ 
but  as  an  evidence :  q.  d.  I  appeal  to  my  Father,  that  I 
am  his  child  ;  I  appeal  to  my  Master,  that  I  have  been 
one  of  his  servants. 

It  is  no  small  attainment  to  walk  before  God  with 
uprightness ;  to  be  simple-minded,  and  single-eyed. 
Sincerity,  I  repeat,  is  most  valuable,  if  you  do  not 
make  a  title  of  it :  for  what  is  religion  without  it !  It 
is  a  proper  evidence  of  character.  I  have  known 
persons  who  could  tell  long  experiences,  talk  of  ex- 
traordinary raptures  and  manifestations,  make  high 
pretensions  :  but  I  have  had  no  comfort  at  all  in  hearing 
them,  but  far  more  pain  than  if  they  had  talked  the 

13 


290  ^  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

wildest  nonsense :  because,  of  all  tilings  in  the  world, 
there  is  nothing  so  distressing,  or  shocking,  as  a  prosti- 
tution of  religion.  There  has  been  evidently  one  thing 
lacking — sincerity  :~-simplicity — singleness  of  heart — 
a  good  character — consistency — honesty  ;  and  if  these 
be  wanting,  away  with  all  religious  talk  and  mere  cant! 
— a  profane  swearer  is  not  more  offensive  than  such  a 
man,  nor  more  hurtful  to  Christianity.  I  have  known 
others  who  could  say  but  little — perhaps  not  very 
clearly  discerning  the  things  which  they  have  spoken 
of — who  spoke  very  humbly :  I  have  seen  them  mean 
much,  in  their  conduct,  spirit,  and  transactions :  and 
to  such  I  would  hold  out  the  strono-est  encouragements. 
I  would  say  to  them — How  depressed  and  distressed 
soever  you  may  be — though,  as  it  were,  under  a  sen- 
tence of  death — yet  can  you,  like  Hezekiah,  turn  your 
eyes  to  Jesus  Christ  the  King  of  Glory?  Can  you 
say,  as  he  said,  "  Lord,  I  am  oppressed  ;  undertake  for 
me  !" — put  underneath  me  thy  everlasting  arms  :  let 
me  be  clothed  in  thy  righteousness,  and  accepted  in  thy 
sight!  Let  such,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  dark  prospects 
which  may  seem  to  surround,  and  almost  to  overwhelm 
them,  causing  them  to  conclude  with  Hezekiah — "  I 
shall  go  softly  all  my  years  in  the  bitterness  of  my 
soul ;" — ^let  them  read  on  :  "  O  Lord,  by  these  things 
men  live :"  What !  By  humbling  dispensations  ?  by 
depression  ?  by  being  broken  to  pieces  ?  by  being,  as 
it  were,  torn  asunder,  and  having  all  their  worldly  hopes 
cut  off?  "  O  Lord,  by  these  things  men  live  :  and  in 
all  these  things  is  the  life  of  my  spirit :"  observe — ''  the 
life  of  my  spirit :"  God  means  to  build  the  soul  by  fre- 
quently breaking  to  pieces  the  body  :  God  means  to 
build  up  the  man  in  his  spiritual  state,  by  breaking  his 
animal  one  to  pieces.  "  So  wilt  thou  recover  me,  and 
make  me  to  live :"  by  which  it  ap'pears,  that  Hezekiah 


rl. 


THC    DEATH-BED    OV    BEN-flADAD.  291 

got  something  more  than  a  deliverance  from  death  :  he 
had  the  stroke  sanctified :  he  was  made  to  live  in  a 
superior  and  better  way. 

Instructed,  therefore,  by  your  }5ainfal  dispensations, 
set  out  in  the  year  upon  which  we  are  about  to  enter 
by  praying  that  God  would  sanctify  every  stroke  of 
his  rod,  and  cause  every  affliction  to  prove  a  remedy 
for  greater  evils  than  temporal  death :  so  shall  you  end 
the  year  with  thanksgiving.  That  you  may  thus  pros- 
per in  soul  and  body,  may  God  of  his  infinite  mercy 
grant,  for  Christ's  sake  ! 


THE  DEATH-BED  OE  BEN-HADAD. 

And  Elisha  came  to  Damascus ;  and  Ben-hadad  the  king  of  Syria  was 
sicli ;  and  it  was  told  him,  saying,  The  man  of  God  is  come  hither. 
And  the  king  said  unto  Hazael,  Take  a  present  in  thine  hand,  and 
go,  meet  the  man  of  God,  and  inquire  of  the  Lord  by  him,  saying, 
Shall  I  recover  of  this  disease? — 2  Kings,  viii.  7,  8.  [1797.] 

The  history  of  fallen  man,  as  set  forth  in  the  Scrip- 
ture, is  found  hke  Ezekiel's  roll,  "  written  within  and 
without,  lamentations,  and  mom^ning,  and  woe."  God 
has  established  a  sure  connection  between  sin  and  sor- 
row. The  only  alleviation  in  this  case  is,  "  The  day- 
star  from  on  high  hath  visited  us." 

While  considering  this  history,  we  shall  see,  both  in 
the  message  sent  by  Ben-hadad,  and  in  the  character 
of  Hazael  as  depicted  by  the  prophet  Elisha,  something 
of  what  is  in  man,  and  what  God  knows  him  to  be.  It 
is  well  for  us,  that  he  only  knoweth  our  hearts  who  can 
bear  with  them. 

I  propose  first,  to  make  some  remarks  on  the  death- 


292  '  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

bed  of  Ben-hadad  ;  and  afterwards  to  call  your  atten- 
tion to  the  exceeding  deceitfulness  of  the  heart,  and 
the  nature  of  temptation,  as  illustrated  in  Hazael.  Let 
us  notice,  **" 

I.   The  death-bed  of  Ben-hadad. 

''  Take  a  present  in  thine  hand,  and  go,  meet  the 
man  of  God,  and  inquire  of  the  Lord  by  him,  saying. 
Shall  I  recover  of  this  disease  ?"  There  is  no  more 
affecting  sight  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  than  the 
death-bed  of  an  unconverted  sinner!  A  man  standing 
upon  the  shore  of  eternity — within  one  step  of  it — 
without  the  least  knowledge  of  what  he  has  to  step 
upon  when  he  enters  it !  Death  is  to  be  found  in  every 
house  ;  but  how  few  are  found  prepared  for  it ! — This 
man  made  no  inquiry  of  the  Prophet  till  he  could  make 
no  use  of  the  answer  given.  Sinners,  when  they  come 
to  die,  are  like  drowning  men  catching  at  twigs.  Such 
is  the  folly  of  putting  off  inquiry  as  to  where  they  shall 
find  ground  on  which  to  set  the  sole  of  their  foot,  till 
they  come  to  die  ! 

"Go,  meet  the  man  of  God,  and  inquire:"  but  for 
what  ? — Where  I  shall  find  pardon  ?  Where  I  shall 
find  a  better  righteousness  than  mv  own  ?  No  such 
thing!  "Go,  and  inquire,  whether  I  shall  recover  of 
this  disease  !"  just  as  though  he  should  inquire  some- 
thing of  a  fortune-teller.  Such  is  the  picture  of  this 
man  ! 

But  let  us  apply  this  to  our  own  case  :  you,  and  I, 
shall  soon  come  to  our  last  extremity.  Many  who  live 
a  life  of  indifference  to  religion  will  at  last  send  for  a 
Minister,  hoping  he  will  say  something  that  may  quiet 
their  consciences.  You,  that  are  putting  ofi'  religion 
to  a  dying  hour,  may  think  to  turp  to  God  when  you 
are  unable  to  turn  in  your  beds.     But  this  is  absolute 


THE    DEATH-BED    OF    BEN-HADAD.  293 

madness.  '*  Now,  is  the  accepted  time  ;  now,  is  the 
day  of  salvation."  Your  prayer  should  now  be — O 
Lord,  prepare  me  for  that  hour  :  help  me  to  flee  for 
refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  me  :  open  mine  eyes  to 
the  true  light  which  now  shineth  ;  let  my  path  be  as 
the  shining  light,  w^hich  shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day  !  "  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  with 
you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  darkness  come 
upon  you." 

There  are  a  set  of  poor  unthinking  creatures,  who 
while  they  are  in  health  laugh  at  religion,  and  those 
who  profess  it ;  but  the  time  will  come  when  death 
will  convince  them  of  their  follv  and  madness  :  and 
there  are  many  who  say  Vv^ith  Balaam,  "  Let  me  die 
the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his  :"  but  we  should  take  care  to  have  truth  on  our 
side  in  time.  If  we  learn  the  blessedness  of  true  re- 
ligion by  living  the  life  of  the  righteous,  then  we  shall 
know  what  satisfaction  it  will  afford  when  we  come  to 
die.  There  is  not  a  poor  wretch  now  in  the  bottom- 
less pit  but  is  convinced  of  truth  :  there  is  a  time  com- 
ins"  when  every  uns-odly  worldlinf?  will  be  convinced 
of  truth  :  but  that  is  not  enough :  we  must  receive  the 
truth  now  :  we  must  have  that  true  wisdom  which 
consists  in  knowing  our  opportunity,  and  the  danger 
of  neglecting  it.  Pie  that  would  rise  when  the  world 
is  in  ruins,  must  now  seek  an  interest  in  him  who  is 
the  Saviour  of  sinners.  The  danger  of  procrastination, 
and  of  our  becominoi;  hardened  in  sin,  may  be  further 
impressed  upon  our  minds  when  we  consider, 

II.  The  EXCEEDING  DECEITFULNESS  OF  THE  HEART, 

and  the  nature  of  temptation,  as  illustrated  in 
Hazael. 

Read    the   verses  following  the    text,  to  the    16th. 


294  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Here  is  a  very  striking  picture.  The  man  of  God 
"  settled  his  countenance  steadfastly  upon  Hazael  until 
he  was  ashanaed  :  and  the  man  of  God  wept."  Ex- 
alted to  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  saw  all  that  was 
coming  on.  "  And  Hazael  said,  Why  weepeth  my 
lord  ?  And  he  answered,  Because  I  know  the  evil  that 
thou  wilt  do  unto  the  children  of  Israel  :"  I  see,  and 
know,  the  lengths  of  wickedness  to  which  thou  shalt 
go.  What  is  most  remarkable  in  this  passage  is  the 
surprise  expressed  by  Hazael.  "  And  Hazael  said,  But 
what,  is  thy  servant  a  dog,  that  he  should  do  this  great 
thing  ?"  Hazael,  no  doubt,  spoke  as  he  felt :  he  was 
satisfied  in  himself:  but  he  did  not  know  himself,  nor 
the  nature  of  temptation. 

But  has  not  the  Scripture  informed  man  of  this  ? 
Has  it  not  said,  "  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all 
things,  and  desperately  wicked  ?*'  Whenever  we  see 
sin  overspreading  the  face  of  the  earth,  it  is  because 
"  out  of  the  heart  of  man  proceed  evil  thoughts,  mur- 
ders, adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false  witness,  blas- 
phemies." Matt.  XV.  19.  See  also  James  i.  13,  17. 
These  facts  should  raise  a  strong  suspicion  in  our 
minds,  and  show  what  we  are  capable  of,  if  permitted 
to  fall  under  temptation.  One  of  our  reformers,  when 
he  saw  a  man  going  to  execution,  said,  "  There  goes 
John  Bradford  but  for  the  grace  of  God  !" 

Much  is  implied  in  the  prophet's  answer,  "  Because 
I  know  the  evil  that  thou  wilt  do  unto  the  children  of 
Israel :"  q.  d.  there  is  an  evil  in  thy  heart  which  a  new 
situation  will  bring  into  exercise.  We  do  not  know 
our  own  hearts.  That  is  God's  prerogative.  See  Rev. 
ii.  23:  "And  all  the  churches  shall  know  that  I  am 
he  that  searcheth  the  reins  and  the  heart."  A  Saviour 
who  could  not  search  the  heart  would  not  be  a  fit  Sav- , 
iour  for  sinners :    and   they   who  know  any  thing  of 


THE  DEATH-BED  OF  BEN-HADAD.        295 

themselves  know  that  their  greatest  danger  lies  within. 
There  are  certain  principles  of  evil  in  our  nature  of 
which,  in  the  absence  of  temptation,  we  are  little 
aware.  The  sea,  when  the  wind,  is  calm,  may  look 
very  smooth  :  but  only  wait  the  influence  of  a  rising 
gale,  and  all  becomes  ruffled  :  wave  rises  upon  wave, 
till  all  is  in  a  state  of  commotion  ;  and  nothing  is  cast 
up  but  "  mire  and  dirt." 

While  a  heathen  could  say,  "  Man,  know  thyself!" 
it  is  only  God,  speaking  to  the  heart,  that  can  make  a 
man  know  himself  It  may  be  said,  Hazael  was  a  bad 
man,  and  therefore  not  a  rule  for  others.  Hazael  was 
a  man  left  to  himself:  and  he  was  only  one,  amongst 
an  immense  number  of  others,  who  prove  that  "  the 
world  lieth  in  wickedness  ;"  or,  in  the  wicked  one. 
Human  nature  is  a  bankrupt :  human  nature  is  a 
Hazael ! 

It  is  not  only  the  man  who  is  hardened  by  bad  habits 
that  will  exemplify  this.  We  see  instances  of  it  in 
God's  own  people  ;  many  of  them  eminent  characters, 
whose  crimes  were  aggravated  by  the  time  and  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  were  committed  ;  even  after 
they  had  been  particularly  favored,  and  employed  by 
God.  See  Lot  at  Zoar.  See  David,  the  man  after 
God's  own  heart,  and  called  to  be  a  penman  of  the 
word  of  God  :  was  David  a  man  of  bad  habits  ?  Read 
the  book  of  Psalms.  He  who  had  thirsted  after  God 
as  the  hart  thirsteth  after  the  water-brooks,  and  who 
had  counted  the  words  of  his  mouth  to  be  more  pre- 
cious than  silver  and  gold,  had  still  so  deceitful  a  heart 
that  when  a  train  of  suitable  temptations  was  laid,  he 
was  guilty  of  both  adultery  and  murder  !  So  Solomon, 
after  his  fine  dedication  of  the  temple,  how  did  he  go 
astray  after  heathenish  women,  till  he  became  guilty 
of  idolatry  !     Hezekiah  was  not  a  man  of  bad  habits  ; 


296  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

yet  he  had  something  in  his  heart  which  he  did  not 
suspect.  The  Lord  left  him  to  himself;  and  then  it 
came  out :  see  2  Kings  xx.  ;  instead  of  impressing  the 
messengers  sent  to  him  with  the  greatness  and  glory 
of  Israel's  God,  he  fell  under  the  temptation  of  vanity, 
and  wished  to  impress  them  with  the  greatness  of  Is- 
rael's x^ing.  These  examples  are  left  to  teach  us  the 
vanity  of  what  men  call  their  "  good  hearts."  It  is  a 
miserable  thing  to  hear  people  talking  like  the  Pharisee, 
**  God,  I  thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are  !" 

If  these  evils  are  so  deeply  rooted,  and  so  ready  to 
discover  themselves  when  occasion  offers,  how  watch- 
ful should  we  be,  and  how  prayerful  that  God  would 
preserve  us  !  If  we  understand  human  nature  aright, 
we  shall  ascribe  it  to  God  that  there  is  any  peace,  at 
home  or  abroad,  for  a  single  day  !  It  is  true  that  when 
we  are  not  under  temptation,  me  may  feel  abhorrence 
at  certain  acts.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  worst  char- 
acters, if  they  had  been  forewarned,  in  early  life,  of 
the  enormities  they  should  commit,  would  have  been 
shocked,  and  perhaps  expressed  themselves  as  Hazael 
did. 

Take  for  instance  the  case  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 
If  this  man  had  been  told  at  an  early  period  of  his  life — 
You  shall  take  such  and  such  towns — commit  such  and 
such  violations — he  would  have  said,  like  Hazael,  "  But 
what,  is  thy  servant  a  dog,  that  he  should  do  this 
great  thing  ?" 

This  may  point  out  to  us  the  power  and  the  progress 
of  temptation  ;  what  is  it  for  a  man  to  say  to  himself, 
concerning  any  sin,  "Is  it  not  a  little  one?"  I  will 
stop  here  :  I  will  just  do  this  thing  and  no  more  !  But 
a  man  can  stop  nowhere,  if  he  does  not  stop  at  the  be- 
ginning of  sin  and  temptation. 

From  this  subject  I  would  admonish  the  young  and 


THE  DEATH-BED  OF  BEN-HADAD.         297 

inexperienced,  who  have  hitherto  been  only  under  the 
shelter  of  their  parents'  roof;  and  who,  perhaps,  scarcely 
know  what  temptation  means.  Do  not  refuse  to  listen 
to  the  admonitions  of  your  parents  :  do  not  think  them 
needless,  and  think  that  you  can  take  care  of  yourselves. 
God  hath  declared  that  "  the  heart  is  deceitful  above 
all  things,  and  desperately  wicked  ;"  and  none  but  God 
knows  what  you  may  be  capable  of,  if  left  to  your- 
selves. Young  man,  remember  Hazael !  know  thine 
own  heart !  but  in  order  to  know  it,  take  the  Bible  to 
learn  it  by  ;  and  pray  to  the  Holy  Spirit  to  open  your 
eyes,  and  then  you  will  see  the  net  and  the  baits  of 
Satan  ;  and  vou  will  see  the  nature  of  this  world's  sue- 
cess.  God  alone  can  keep  you  from  evil.  Hazael  had, 
what  the  world  calls,  success  and  prosperity.  He  was 
elated  at  the  thoughts  of  becoming  a  king,  notwith- 
standing the  horrid  things  that  the  prophet  foretold  he 
should  do.  His  imacrination  was  filled  with  this  idea, 
I  shall  be  a  king  !  and  if  so,  the  sooner  the  better  ! 
Hitherto,  he  had  not  been  in  a  situation  to  discover  his 
own  heart ;  but,  now  it  begins  to  come  out :  he  would 
break  through  every  thing  to  be  a  king ;  instead  of 
waiting,  as  he  ought,  the  Lord's  time.  He  then  went 
home,  told  his  master  a  lie,  and  after  that,  added  to  his 
lie  the  crime  of  murder ! — Had  Flazael  been  driven  into 
obscurity,  these  evils  might  never  have  come  forth. 
This  should  teach  us  to  be  thankful  for  that  situation 
in  which  God  has  placed  us ;  and  not  to  give  way  to 
murmuring  or  discontent,  or  wish  to  have  the  placing 
of  ourselves.  Do  any  of  you  lead  a  life  of  pain  ?  who 
can  tell  but  there  is  something  in  your  heart  that  needs 
to  be  kept  down  by  it?  Are  you  in  narrow  circum- 
stances ?  you  know  not  the  danger  of  wealth,  or  the 
evils  it  might  draw  out  of  your  heart.  You  will,  by 
and  by,  come  to  see  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  that 

13* 


298  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

affliction,  or  for  that  bereavement,  or  that  loss  in  trade, 
there  was  some  "root  of  bitterness"  in  your  heart  of 
which  you  were  unconscious,  but  which  might  have 
proved  your  entire  overthrow.  Since  we  have  a 
Guide,  whose  love  is  as  great  as  his  power,  let  us  leave 
all  to  him,  believing  that  he  knows  what  is  best.  You 
would  think  it  madness  to  find  fault  with  the  heavenly 
bodies  over  your  heods;  to  say,  or  even  to  think,  that 
you  could  have  better  disposed  the  planetary  system  : 
yet,  it  is  quite  as  great  madness  and  folly  to  be  dissat- 
isfied with  your  state  and  portion  here.  God  knows 
our  constitutions,  and  what  is  our  besetting  sin  ;  and, 
like  a  general  in  an  army,  appoints  to  each  of  us  our 
proper  post.  Our  gracious  Commander  has  respect  to 
the  peculiar  character  of  every  individual;  and  he  will 
not  lay  upon  us  more  than  we  are  able  to  bear.  If 
he  call  us  to  go  through  difficulties,  he  will  also  make 
a  way  of  escape.  The  great  thing  for  which  we  should 
seek,  and  pray,  is,  that  whatever  be  our  lot  it  may  be 
a  sanctified  one. 

I  address  the  man  of  business  :  You  may  be  success- 
ful in  your  schemes,  and  yet  may  need  to  be  taught, 
that  unless  you  are  ingrafted  on  the  true  Vine,  and  are 
regenerated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  you  can  have  no  real 
happiness  from  your  success.  Nay,  if  you  be  a  real 
Christian,  and  have  felt  the  depravity  of  your  heart, 
and  have  often  prayed,  "  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart, 
O  God  :"  bring  me  to  the  foot  of  the  cross  :  lead  me  in 
the  narrow  way ! — yet,  you  must  remember,  "  He  that 
trusteth  in  his  own  heart  is  a  fool," — whether  he  be  a 
Christian  or  not.  We  must  not  trust  in  ourselves, 
or  others :  we  must  not  trust  even  in  our  ministers, 
who  are  only  our  messengers  :  but  we  must  trust  in  the 
Lord,  who  will  never  disappoint.  Jer.  xvii.  5 — 7. 
David,  and  Peter,  teach  us  that  no  man  may  trust  in  his 


THE  DEATH-BED  OF  BEN-HADAD.        299 

own  heart,  or  good  resolutions,  or  past  experience.  For 
want  of  this  godly  jealousy,  some  of  the  most  exalted 
characters  have  departed  from  God  by  little  and  little, 
till  they  have  given  awful  proofs  of  what  man  is  when 
left  to  himself! 

Let  us  prize  the  remedy  which  the  Gospel  provides. 
Christ  has  proposed  a  radical  cure.  Nature  can  make 
a  puppet :  false  religion  can  paint  the  outside  of  the 
sepulchre,  and  leave  the  inside  "  full  of  dead  men's 
bones :"  any  spiritual  quack  can  present  a  sandy  foun- 
dation ;  but,  "  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  lay  in 
Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious 
corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation  :  he  that  believeth  shall 
not  make  haste."  Isa.  xxviii.  16. 

1st.  Hence  we  learn,  in  conclusion,  that  false  ac- 
counts, and  groundless  expectations,  are  among  the 
principal  agents  of  hell. 

Ben-hadad  little  thought  that  his  servant,  whom  he 
trusted,  would  come  back  with  a  lie,  and  then  murder 
him.  (See  ver.  10.)  "  Elisha  said  unto  him.  Go,  say 
unto  Ben-hadad,  Thou  mayest  certainly  recover  :  how- 
beit  the  Lord  hath  showed  me  that  he  shall  surely  die  :" 
i.  e.  there  is  not  so  much  in  the  nature  of  the  disease 
but  what  he  might  recover  ;  but  the  Lord  hath  showed 
me  that  he  shall  not  recover. 

Now,  mark  the  lying  expectation,  and  the  false  ac- 
count he  took  to  the  king,  who  asked  him — "  What  said 
Elisha  to  thee  ?  And  he  answered.  He  told  me  that 
thou  shouldest  surely  recover."  The  king  probably 
said  to  himself,  Then,  I  will  make  myself  easy;  I  shall 
recover !  Thus  he  lost  even  the  short  space  allowed 
him  for  repentance  ! 

Brethren!  those  are  the  agents  of  hell,  who  rock 
others  to  sleep  when  in  the  most  critical  and  danger- 
ous state  !     Are  not  these  facts  seen  every  day  ?     Are 


300  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

not  baits  prepared — whether  presented  to  the  eye  or 
the  ear, — to  turn  away  the  mind  from  the  "  one  thing 
needful  ?" — to  keep  out  of  sight  the  true  foundation  ? 
Young  people,  you  know  not  how  Satan  will  set  any 
thing  before  your  eyes  to  keep  God  out  of  your  minds. 
If  a  man  discovers  the  bait,  so  as  to  be  aware  of  it,  and 
escape  it,  it  is  a  great  privilege  !  Bless  God  that  the 
true  light  shines,  and  shows  you  plainly  a  narrow  way, 
and  a  broad  road  :  it  tells  you,  that  one  leads  to  life 
eternal,  and  the  other  to  destruction,  "  where  the  worm 
dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  These  are 
both  set  before  us  by  "  the  true  light "  that  "  now 
shineth." 

2ndly.  We  may  see  from  the  case  before  us,  that 
when  once  a  corrupt  heart  is  fully  set,  and  instigated 
to  do  evil,  it  is  capable  of  any  wickedness. 

*'  When  lust  hath  conceived,  it  bringeth  forth  sin  ; 
and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death.''  Dr. 
Johnson  speaks  of  the  danger  of  cherishing  one  wrong 
desire  in  the  heart.  What  a  conflagration  may  a  single 
spark  occasion  !  Therefore  Solomon  cautions  us  to 
shun  the  path  of  the  wicked  :  "  Avoid  it,  pass  not  by  it, 
turn  from  it,  and  pass  away."  Look  at  the  man  of 
whom  we  have  just  been  speaking,  who  set  out  from 
nothing,  and  who  is  now  become  the  troubler  of  Eu- 
rope— if  God  does  not  put  a  stop  to  his  mad  projects, 
where  will  they  end  ? 

Natural  causes  are  a  merely  secondary  considera- 
tion :  he  knows  but  little  of  history,  and  much  less  of 
God,  who  places  confidence  in  natural  causes.  The 
poor  have  not  the  perplexities  of  the  rich  :  they  know 
little  what  serpents  lurk  in  the  path  of  the  rich  :  what 
temptations,  what  entanglements,  what  incentives  to 
ambition,  and  the  lusts  of  present  things !  And  fre- 
quently, some  bad  passion,  or  propensity  being  irritated, 


THE  DEATH-BED  OF  BEN-HADAD.         301 

the  man  rushes  on  with  mad  impetuosity,  and  knows 
no  bound. 

"  Keep,"  therefore,  "  thine  heart  with  all  diligence  ; 
for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life."  With  how  much 
caution  do  we  watch  that  no  spark  falls  which  might 
endanger  our  houses  !  We  take  every  precaution  to 
secure  ourselves,  with  bolts  and  bars,  against  robbers  ! 
in  these  things  we  act  rationally.  Let  us  be  influenced 
by  rational  considerations  in  regard  to  spiritual  things  : 
let  us  watch  against  evil,  and  take  every  means  to  hold 
fast  to  God.  "Simon,  Simon,"  said  our  Lord,  "  Satan 
hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as 
wheat ;  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail 
not :" — such  is  the  power  of  the  enemy,  he  will  lead 
you  on  to  any  thing ! 

Let  us  consider,  and  pray,  with  one  heart,  that  we 
may  receive  the  truth,  and  be  kept  from  evil.  God 
savs  of  his  Church,  "  I  drew  them  with  the  cords  of  a 
man :"  i.  e.  not  only  by  spiritual  influences,  but  by  ra- 
tional considerations ;  by  such  cords  as  men  draw 
with  ;  or,  are  drawn  with.  Let  us  have  the  wisdom 
to  know  our  opportunity,  and  the  danger  of  neglecting 
it.  Let  us  watch  and  pray,  that  we  enter  not  into 
temptation. 

.  A  man  is  sometimes  overtaken  by  a  temptation  be- 
fore he  is  aware.  He  says,  like  Hazael,  "'  Is  thy  servant 
a  dog,  that  he  should  do  this  great  thing?"  We  are 
often  least  afraid,  when  most  in  danger  :  the  armor  may 
be  ready,  but  it  is  not  put  on.  Happy  is  it  for  us,  that 
there  is  One  who  watches  over  us,  like  a  parent ;  who 
sees  where  the  child  is  likely  to  fall,  when  he  does  not 
expect  it.  God,  by  his  warnings,  calls  upon  us  to 
watch ;  and  by  his  promises,  encourages  us  to  pray. 

I  speak  to  Christians  :  If  you  live  ever  so  long — 
have  ever  so  great  experience — yet  not  a  day,  not  an 


302  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

hour  is  there,  when  you  do  not  need  to  watch  against 
temptation.  I  call  on  you  to  expect  temptation  :  per- 
haps in  such  a  form  as  you  have  not  hitherto  expe- 
rienced. If  you  expect  it,  you  will  be  less  surprised 
by  it  when  it  comes  :  treat  it  wisely ;  but  go  not  into 
the  way  of  it.  Come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace  for 
strength  to  meet  it :  if  you  cannot  come  with  that  firm- 
ness and  constancy  which  you  could  wish,  yet  come 
as  you  can  ;  saying  with  the  woman  of  Canaan,  "  Lord, 
help  me :"  I  can  only  hope  for  power  and  victory 
through  thy  grace. — 1  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  they 
who  live  without  a  sense  of  the  danger  and  power  of 
temptation,  and  thence  are  not  led  to  watch  and  pray 
against  it,  have  no  ground  for  thinking  themselves 
Christians.  The  sense  of  need,  and  of  God  as  our 
only  helper,  is  a  criterion  of  a  real  Christian. 


LIFE,  THE  GOLDEN  OPPORTUNITY. 

Jesus  answered,  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  day  %  If  any  man 
walk  in  the  day,  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this 
world.  But  if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because  there 
is  no  light  in  him. — John  xi.  9,  10.  [1805.J 

We  are  now  entering  on  a  new  year :  and  as  man  is 
drawn  by  the  cords  of  a  man,  that  is,  not  only  by  spir- 
itual influences,  but  by  rational  considerations,  let  us 
seriously  consider  our  state  and  condition  before  God, 
and  pray  with  one  heart,  that  we  may  enter  upon  this 
year  in  newness  of  spirit.  And  may  the  influences  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  rest  upon  us! 

'*Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  dav?"  Now,  if 
a  man  walks  in  the  day,  if  he  does  his  appointed  work 


LIFE,    THE    GOLDEN    OPPORTUNITY.  303 

in  it,  then  fresh  advances  will  be  attended  with  fresh 
prosperity.  But  if  a  man  trifles  in  those  twelve  hours 
— if  he  suffers  the  light  to  pass,  and  his  work  is  not 
done,  and  the  night  overtake  him,  "when  no  man  can 
work" — then  he  loses  his  opportunity,  and  must  take 
all  consequences. 

Notice  the  particular  occasion  on  which  these  words 
were  spoken.  The  disciples,  upon  hearing  that  our 
Lord  proposed  to  go  again  into  Judea,  said  unto  him, 
"Master,  the  Jews  of  late  sought  to  stone  thee;  and 
goest  thou  thither  again  ?"  Jesus  answered,  "  Are 
there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  dav  ?  If  anv  man  walk 
in  the  day,  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light 
of  this  world  :"  as  though  he  had  said.  Is  not  the  period 
of  my  work  as  much  determined  as  the  duration  of  the 
natural  day?  Is  it  not  fixed  by  my  Father's  will? 
During  this  period  the  light  of  my  day  shines :  and 
while  it  continues,  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  Him 
that  sent  me."  "  For  if  any  man  walk  in  the  day,  he 
stumbleth  not :"  he  can  then  see  the  impediments,  dif- 
ficulties, and  dangers  of  his  path.  "  But  if  a  man  walk 
in  the  night," — if  the  dilatory  traveller  puts  off  his  jour- 
ney till  the  evening,  he  is  overtaken  by  the  night ;  and 
being  unable  to  discern  his  path,  "he  stumbleth.'' 

I  shall  call  your  attention, 

I.    To  THE  WISDOM    OF    KNOWING    OUR    OPPORTUNITY: 

*' Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  dayV 

II.    To  THE  DANGER  OF  NEGLECTING    IT  :    "  The    night 

cometh,^'  when  men  can  neither  walk  nor  work. 

I.  The  wisdom  of  knowing  our  opportunity. 
This  principally  depends  upon  our  walking  and  work- 
ing while  it  is  light.  The  light  is  with  us  as  long  as 
we  have  the  word  of  God.  A  heathen  has  no  light ; 
he  has  nothing  but  superstition.     But,  says  the  Psalm- 


304  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

ist,  *'  Thy  word  is  a  light  unto  my  feet,  and  a  lamp 
unto  my  path."  More  especially  is  the  light  with  us, 
when  we  have  that  word  faithfully  preached  ;  when  it 
is  opened  and  urged  upon  our  consciences  by  faithful 
ministers.  Our  opportunity  is  also  great  when  we  see 
signal  instances  of  the  power  and  grace  of  God  in 
others.  The  man  out  of  whom  the  devils  were  cast, 
besought  Jesus  that  he  might  be  with  him.  But  our 
Saviour  answered,  "  Return  to  thine  own  house,  and 
show  how  great  things  God  hath  done  unto  thee." 
Wherever  real  grace  reaches  the  heart,  and  a  man  is 
enabled,  by  his  living  and  walking  according  to  it,  to 
demonstrate  the  reality  of  religion — there  is  a  great 
light. 

Our  opportunity  is  still  greater,  if  we  have  found  this 
grace  reach  our  own  hearts.  If  a  man  sits  down  and 
considers  how  gracious  the  Lord  is ;  how  merciful  the 
proclamation  of  grace  and  pardon  to  the  guilty ;  if  he 
sees  that  there  is  no  impediment  to  his  accepting  the 
proposal :  such  a  man  shall  know  whither  he  goeth :  he 
walketh  while  the  sun  is  up :  his  sin  and  guilt  shall  be 
rolled  upon  another :  in  his  affliction  he  shall  find  a  cor- 
dial for  every  wound  :  and  he  shall  be  able  to  take  hold 
of  the  cold  hand  of  death,  and  say.  Though  worms 
destroy  this  body,  yet  there  shall  be  sunshine  in  the 
church-yard :  he  shall  be  able  to  say,  "  Who  shall  lay 
any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?" — Let  us  fur- 
ther consider, 

IL  The  danger  of  neglecting  our  opportunity. 

*'  The  children  of  this  world,"  says  our  Lord,  "  are 
wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light." 
When  a  man  from  the  top  of  a  hill  sees  a  fine  prospect, 
he  says  to  himself — True,  this  is  very  fine  now,  but  it 
would  be  horrible  to  remain  here  till  midnight ;  there- 


LIFE,    THE    GOLDEN    OPPORTUNITY.  305 


fore  I  must  get  housed  before  night  comes.  How  do 
merchants,  and  other  men  of  business,  calculate  the 
value  of  the  dav  ?  They  all  ask,  "Are  there  not  twelve 
hours  in  the  day  ?"  and  they  take  care  to  improve 
them,  so  as  best  to  promote  their  worldly  interests. 
But  why  cannot  men  see  the  importance  of  their  op- 
portunity in  spiritual  things  ?  A  child,  who  had  well 
improved  one  year,  might  be  considered  to  have  lived 
long:  while  the  sinner,  being  an  hundred  years  old,  but 
who  had  not  lived  long  enough  to  find  out  his  oppor- 
tunity, or  to  begin  his  day's  work,  must  be  accounted 
a  mere  child  in  understandins". 

There  is  a  great  mistake  which  men  are  apt  to  make. 
They  confound  darkness  with  death  and  the  grave. 
Wherefore  they  put  off  all  thoughts  of  eternal  things, 
as  gloomy  subjects,  to  be  attended  to  by  and  by.  To- 
morrow, and  to-morrow,  is  the  fool's  maxim.  But 
there  is  no  such  necessary  connection  :  for  death  and 
the  grave  may  be  illuminated  by  the  light  of  life.  Job 
could  look  at  death,  and  say,  "  I  know  that  my  Re- 
deemer liveth  ;  and  though  after  my  skin  worms  de- 
stroy this  body,  yet  in  my  fiesh  I  shall  see  God."  But 
let  a  man  ask  himself.  Do  I  not  now  walk  in  darkness  ? 
Am  I  not  so  hindered  by  an  incessant  attention  to  my 
occupation,  as  to  be  perplexed,  and  blind'ed,  to  every 
thing  besides  ?  "I  must  work  while  it  is  day,"  says 
Christ.  What  says  the  sinner?  Does  he  not  say,  I 
have  a  great  deal  besides  to  do  !  I  have  married  a 
wife ;  I  have  a  farm,  and  oxen  to  attend  to! 

Let  us  remember,  that  whether  we  improve  the  day 
or  not,  it  goes  on  ;  our  opportunity  is  passing  away. 
The  day  is  a  picture  of  life ;  consisting  of  a  morning, 
noon,  and  evening.  We  put  off  what  we  should  do  in 
the  morning  till  noon  ;  and  what  at  noon,  till  the  eve- 
ning ;  and  so  on.     Another  great  portion  of  our  life  is 


300  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

gone  in  the  past  year :  Oh  what  a  picture  does  it  pre- 
sent!  How  many  that  were  here  this  clay  twelve 
months  have  gone  into  eternity  !  Oar  sand  is  running 
apace.  "  Woe  unto  us  !  for  the  day  goeth  away,"'  saith 
the  prophet !  Should  we  not  send  up  a  prayer  that  we 
may  be  enabled  to  work  while  it  is  day  ? 

The  men  of  the  world  are  like  children  playing  with 
toys.  They  do  not  like  to  be  bid  to  put  them  down. 
But  the  moment  a  spark  of  true  light  shines  into  their 
hearts,  they  wake  as  out  of  a  dream,  and  say.  What ! 
have  I  never  thought — 

"  That  awful  day  will  surely  come, 
Th'  appointed  hour  makes  haste, 
When  I  must  stand  before  my  Judge, 
And  pass  the  solemn  test." 

The  foolish  go  on  carelessly  hearing  these  things  till 
the  night  actually  comes.  But  though  conscience  is 
stupid  through  the  day,  it  is  very  common  to  see  such 
an  one  awake  up  at  night,  and  then  his  language  is,  I 
have  lived  a  rebel,  and  I  m.ust  die  without  hope  !  It  is 
not  sufficient  then  to  crv,  *'  Lord,  Lord !"  for  though 
God  can  display  the  glory  of  his  grace  in  saving  a  sin- 
ner at  the  eleventh  hour ;  yet  this  is  not  meant  for  us 
to  ground  presumption  upon.  This  would  be  to  sin 
that  p-race  misfht  abound. 

If  man  lingers  and  loses  his  opportunity,  no  wonder 
if  Satan  in  the  meantime  is  busy.  He  will  be  over- 
taken by  the  twilight  of  doubt,  so  that  the  very  light 
that  is  in  him  will  become  darkness :  he  will  be  under 
the  jaundice  of  prejudice  :  he  will  become  the  victim 
of  some  idle  tradition  :  if  a  man  by  any  mode  says,  I 
will  not  see — the  Lord  savs,  you  shall  not  see  !  there 
is  added  a  judicial  blindness!  When  a  man  regards 
truth  as  a  fable,  he  shall  be  led  away  by  some  delu- 


LIFE,    THE    GOLDEN    OPPORTUNITY.  307 

sion.  There  is  no  darkness  like  judicial  darkness ! 
"  Ephraim  is  joined  to  idols  :  let  him  alone."  He  shall 
not  be  so  much  as  uneasy  :  but  the  time  is  coming  when 
it  shall  be  said,  "  Cast  ye  the  unprofitable  servant  into 
outer  darkness!" 

And  while  this  darkness  is  advancing  through  its 
various  stages,  what  is  the  careless  sinner  about  ?  He 
is  going  on  in  sin,  in  vain  amusements,  in  the  eager 
pursuit  of  trifles.  He  does  not  know  what  he  is 
about :  he  is  all  wrong.  What  a  danger  is  there,  if 
we  walk  after  the  twelve  hours  are  expired  !  '•'  The 
night  Cometh  when  no  man  can  work:"  and  "if  a  man 
walk  in  the  night  he  stumbleth."  See  Prov.  i.  24. 
Let  me  say,  therefore,  to  every  careless  sinner, 
"  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead, 
and  Christ  shall  sfive  thee  lis-ht."  Take  heed  lest  it 
be  said,  You  have  had  a  warning  this  year,  but  you 
shall  never  have  another! 

If  the  importance  of  opportunity,  and  the  danger  of 
approaching  darkness,  should  quicken  the  traveller — 
then  let  me  seriously  address  myself  to  young  persons. 
You  are  entering  upon  another  year,  and  are  pleased 
with  its  opening  prospects.  You  say,  perhaps,  My 
health  is  good,  my  day  is  bright;  and  you  presume  it 
will  never  be  night.  But  remember,  there  are  only 
twelve  hours  in  the  day.  And,  after  believing  a  thou- 
sand lies,  you  will  find  old  age  stealing  upon  you. 
While  you  are  young.  I  call  upon  you  to  regard  "  the 
day-spring  from  on  high" — to  behold  "  the  Sun  of  right- 
eousness ;"  then,  whatever  occurs,  you  will  be  able  to 
say  with  David,  "  God  hath  made  with  me  an  ever- 
lasting covenant,  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure ;  and 
this  is  all  my  salvation,  and  all  my  desire."  I  call 
upon  you,  while  in  the  prime  of  life,  to  own  this.  Judge 
of  things  by  this  light ;  for  it  is  the  only  true  light. 


308  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

St.  Paul  SO  estimated  it,  that  he  counted  all  things  but 
dung  and  dross  in  comparison.  Lean  not  to  your  own 
understanding  :  call  things  as  God  calls  them  ;  and 
then  you  will  be  right.  Waste  not  your  time  in  sleep  ; 
be  like  the  ant,  which  layeth  up  her  food  in  summer  ; 
waste  not  your  time  in  speculation  :  what  would  you 
think  of  a  captive  shut  up  in  his  dungeon  with  only 
one  inch  of  candle,  and  instead  of  using  the  light  to 
read  his  Bible,  in  order  to  know  what  to  do  to  be 
saved,  was  found  reading  a  novel  till  the  very  moment 
when  he  was  called  to  execution  ?  Take  care  of  the 
ignis  fatuiLs,  a  fire  which,  as  in  nature  so  in  morals, 
arises  from  a  bog.  In  the  twelfth  chapter  of  St.  Johns 
you  see  a  consequence  :  "  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light 
with  you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  darkness 
come  upon  you :  for  he  that  walketh  in  darkness 
knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth."  The  wise  men,  vv'hen 
they  saw  the  star,  not  only  rejoiced  at  it,  but  followed 
it  ;  and  it  brought  them  to  the  place  where  the  young 
Child  lay.  If  you  are  led  by  true  wisdom,  it  always 
leads  to  Jesus. 

Remember,  through  this  new  year,  that  "'  before 
honor  is  humility."  Set  out,  casting  3^our  care  upon 
God.  I  recommend  you  to  improve  birthdays — special 
events  in  providence — death  of  relatives,  friends,  and 
neiglibors ;  as  well  as  New  Years'  days.  Each  has  a 
voice  in  the  ears  of  a  wise  man  ;  and  cries,  ''  Walk  in 
the  light,  lest  darkness  come  upon  you." 

Finally,  the  text  admonishes  ministers  :  it  tells  us 
that  if  we  have  any  hope  of  looking  Christ  in  the  face 
with  comfort,  it  must  be  by  working  while  it  is  day. 
If  our  object  be  to  please  the  world,  it  will  make  work 
for  repentance.  We  must  set  our  faces  like  a  flint,  if 
we  would  give  up  our  account  with  joy.  Let  us  con- 
sider the  view  which  Christ  had  of  his  \vork,  and  the 


PRAYER    FOR    DIVINE    GUIDANCE.  309 

shortness  of  time  ;  which  should  be  a  powerful  argu- 
ment with  us  also  to  attend  to  our  work. 


PRAYER  FOR  DIVINE  GUIDANCE. 

For  thy  name's  sake  lead  me,  and  guide  me. — Psalm  xxxi.  3.    [1795.] 

There  is  a  disposition  in  the  heart  of  a  true  Chris- 
tian, that  whether  it  be  called  faith,  or  hope,  or  love, 
it  leads  to  reclining  the  heart  upon  One  that  has 
made  a  proposal,  and  is  willing  to  save  ;  and  this  dis- 
position is  habitual.  It  is  strongly  exemplified  through- 
out the  Book  of  Psalms. 

There  is  an  old  proverb,  that  when  God  means  to 
destroy  a  man,  he  suffers  him  to  be  infatuated  ;  that  is, 
he  leaves  him  to  himself.  On  the  other  hand,  it  may 
be  said,  when  God  means  to  save  a  man,  he  teaches 
him  that  he  can  of  himself  do  nothing,  and  leads  him 
to  adopt  the  language  of  the  text :  "  Lead  me,  and 
guide  me,"     I  shall  consider, 

I.    The  PETITION  ITSELF. 
II.    The  METHODS    BY    WHICH    GoD    LEADS  THOSE  WHO 
PRAV  TO  HIM. 

III.    The  ENCOURAGEMENT  THUS  TO   PRAY. 

I.  The  PETITION  ITSELF.  If  a  man  sincerely  means 
what  he  says  when  he  makes  this  petition,  "  For  thy 
name's  sake  lead  me  and  guide  me,"  it  is  evident,  1st, 
That  he  feels  his  need  of  being  led ;  and  that  he  has  a 
sincere  desire,  like  Abraham  and  David,  to  be  led  in 
any  way  that  God  pleases.  It  implies,  also,  that  he  has 
full  trust  in   the  ability  of  his  Leader.     A  Christian 


310  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

knows  that  there  can  be  no  sea  so  deep,  no  prison  so 
dark,  no  case  so  intricate,  but  that  God  is  able  to  make 
a  way  of  escape.  Many  persons  speak  of  the  wisdom 
of  God,  while  their  conduct  implies  that  they  think 
themselves  the  wisest.  The  Christian  not  only  speaks 
of  God's  wisdom,  but  he  gives  himself  up  to  his  gui- 
dance. 

The  petition  implies,  2ndly,  A  persuasion  of  the  wil- 
lingness of  God  to  lead.  If  I  find  one  able,  I  must 
also  find  one  willing,  to  help  such  a  perverse,  straying 
creature,  as  I  find  myself  to  be.  1  believe  God  will  do 
it  for  his  own  honor  and  word's  sake  :  he  will  be  fnith- 
ful  to  his  oath.  The  believer  will  say,  God  has  prom- 
ised to  lead  me,  and  it  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie  :  he 
cannot  mock  the  soul  that  calls  upon  him  for  help : 
therefore  I  will  cry,  "  For  thy  name's  sake  lead  me,  and 
guide  me  :"  help  me  to  walk  in  thy  paths.  I  am  a  poor, 
weak,  tempted  creature ;  undertake  for  me ;  lead  me, 
as  a  wandering  sheep,  back  to  thy  fold:  lead  me  in  the 
paths  of  righteousness :  teach  me,  as  to  the  grandest 
question,  how  I,  a  guilty  sinner,  may  obtain  pardon, 
and  peace  with  God. 

3rdly.  This  petition  implies  faith :  lead  me,  "for  thy 
name's  sake."  1  cannot  ask  it  for  my  ov^ai  sake,  for  I 
have  been  presumptuous  and  refractory ;  yet  I  can 
plead  thy  character,  thy  name.  My  name  is  folly, 
weakness,  ingratitude  :  thy  name  is  wisdom,  power, 
mercy :  if  I  can  plead  nothing  else,  I  can  plead  thy 
name.  And  if  God  shall  get  honor  by  saving  me  for 
his  name's  sake,  that  is  all  my  desire.  Therefore  I  will 
pray,  Lead  me  humbly,  as  one  not  worthy  to  gather 
up  the  crumbs  under  thy  table ;  but  also  as  one  who  is 
taught  to  ask  great  things.  Lead  me  practically,  as  a 
member  of  society ;  so  that  my  religion  may  not  seem 
to  be  all  notion :  lead  me,  as  one  tliat  'has  a  part  in 


PRAYER    FOR    DIVINE    GUIDANCE.  311 

life  to  fulfil ;  as  being  related  to  a  family.  Our  duties 
are  not  all  of  one  sort :  they  are  various  and  connected. 
Lead  me  safely,  through  the  danger  that  surrounds  me, 
as  a  traveller  going  through  devioQs  paths :  lead  me 
securely,  as  one  often  tempted  out  of  the  right  path, 
and  led  astray :  lead  me,  as  the  parent  leads,  who  not 
only  directs  the  path,  but  who  takes  hold  of  the  child's 
hand.  Lead  me,  in  a  dying  hour,  through  the  valley 
of  death  :  shine  on  me,  and  hold  me  up :  "  Let  not  the 
water-flood  drown  me."  Lead  me  evangelically : 
teach  me  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  as  an  humble,  pa- 
tient, learner ;  not  disputing,  nor  questioning,  nor  lean- 
ing to  my  own  understanding,  but  looking  to  thee. 
Lead  me,  in  any  way  that  may  seem  best  to  thee,  on 
any  ground,  by  any  means. 

A  proud,  philosophical  mind  never  put  up  such  a 
prayer  as  this,  which  implies  a  sense  of  need,  a  desire 
to  be  led  in  God's  way,  and  a  consciousness  that  God 
is  both  willing,  and  able,  thus  to  lead  so  unworthy  a 
creature  as  man.  We  may  put  up  such  a  prayer  as 
this,  moment  by  moment.     Let  us  consider, 

II.  What   are  the   methods  by   which  God  thus 

LEADS  THOSE  WHO  PRAY  TO  HIM  ? 

God  leads  them,  1st,  hy  his  providence.  Some  may 
have  long  heard  the  Gospel  to  little  purpose :  they  go 
on  carelessly :  then  God  sends  them  a  severe  loss ;  he 
takes  away  the  desire  of  their  eyes  with  a  stroke  :  he ' 
says.  If  you  will  not  hear,  I  will  make  you  feel.  And 
it  is  a  blessed  affliction  that  does  this.  Nothing  would 
do  for  the  prodigal  till  he  began  to  be  "  in  want ;"  and 
even  then,  he  tried  to  weather  it ;  he  tried  to  fill  his 
belly  with  the  husks  that  the  swine  did  eat. 

2ndly,  God  leads  hy  his  word.  A  man  is  in  afflic- 
tion, and  is  shut  up  in  his  chamber ;  and  at  length  he 


312  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

is  induced  to  take  his  Bible,  which  has  been  before 
neglected.  This  is  in  reality  a  providential  leading,  to 
draw  him  to  the  teaching  of  the  word.  The  sick  man 
being  cut  off  from  all  resources,  is  disposed  to  read  the 
book  of  God  ;  and  he  therein  finds  a  light — a  lamp  to 
his  feet.  Another  accidentally  passes  the  church-door, 
and  wanders  in  :  his  attention  is  arrested,  and  he  is  led 
to  ask  himselt^,  What  am  I  doing  ?  where  am  I  going  ? 
The  Lord  is  present  by  his  Spirit,  and  seals  the  word 
preached,  and  thus  the  Lord  is  leading  him  providen- 
tially to  his  word,  and  by  his  word  :  that  word  which 
is  able  to  furnish  him  with  instruction ;  that  word 
which  is  everywhere  perfect ;  which  can  be  trusted. 
It  may  lead  contrary  to  nature,  but  it  leads  safely : 
therefore  it  is  said,  "  Ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the 
good  way,  arid  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  to 
your  souls."  This  leads  to  the  friendship  of  God,  which 
is  the  only  rest  for  the  children  of  God,  as  the  ark  was 
the  only  rest  for  the  dove.  It  is  one  of  Satan's  devices 
to  make  us  think  lightly  of  the  word  and  ordinances 
of  God,  as  though  they  were  void  and  useless ;  but  no 
one  who  reads  the  Scriptures,  and  observes  the  prom- 
ises, but  will  find,  that  it  is  God's  plan  to  bless  us  in  the 
use  of  means ;  and  in  none  more  than  in  the  diligent 
study  of  his  word.  "  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with 
them  that  fear  him ;  and  he  will  show  them  his  cove- 
nant." 

But  though  God  makes  use  of  his  written  word,  and 
of  his  word  preached,  yet  neither  of  them  will  do  alone  : 
there  must  be  added,  3rdly,  the  teaching  and  leading  of 
his  Spirit,  applying  the  word  to  the  conscience.  There 
may  be  conviction ;  there  may  be  outward  improvement, 
and  reformation  ;  but  till  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  dis- 
turbing effectually  "  the  unclean  spirit,"  he  will  only 
make  a  temporary  departure ;  "  walking  through  dry 


PRAYER    FOR    DIVINE    GUIDANCE.  313 

places,  seeking  rest  and  finding  none."  The  house  may- 
appear  "^ swept  and  garnished  :"  people  may  admire  the 
change ;  but,  unless  Christ  comes  in,  as  a  priest  over 
his  own  house,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  up  his  dwell- 
ing there,  Satan  will  return  again,  and  bring  with  him 
"  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than  himself,"  who 
shall  enter  in  and  dwell  there,  and  "  the  last  state  of 
that  man  shall  be  worse  than  the  first."  Let  us,  there- 
fore, pray, — Oh  write  thy  word  on  my  heart ;  put  energy 
and  efficacy  into  it :  enable  me  to  get  help  in  any  way, 
by  any  hint ;  Oh  make  a  divine  impression  on  my  heart! 
In  the  day  of  judgment,  no  one  shall  ever  look  up  and 
say,  I  sought  thee,  I  prayed  to  thee  to  teach  me ;  and 
thou  didst  not  hear ! 

A  practical  renunciation  of  self  is  a  lesson  that  God 
will  teach  all  his  children.  How  was  Moses  silenced 
— Jonah — Peter!  How  was  St.  Paul  taught  to  say, 
"  When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong !" 

A  young  beginner  in  Christianity  may  say  what  he 
will  do :  but  an  old  Christian  will  say  what  Christ  will 
do  ;  his  mind  will  be  growing  up  unto  him  in  all  things  ; 
and  he  will  know  that  his  safety  lies  in  keeping  close 
to  the  footsteps  of  Christ.  Sometimes  God  lets  a  poor 
vain  conceited  creature  alone  for  a  time  :  he  seems  to 
say  to  him,  You  think  you  can  guide  yourself:  try,  now, 
what  you  can  do.  Such  a  one  was  Naaman ;  he  ob- 
jected to  the  remedy ;  he  objected  to  the  manner  of 
applymg  it ;  and  therefore  he  went  away  in  a  rage. 
In  order  to  humble  him,  a  servant,  a  little  maid,  must 
be  his  teacher.  "  He  that  trusteth  in  his  own  heart  is 
a  fool."  This  was  the  lesson  which  God  taught  Peter ; 
and  if  he  is  thus  teaching  you,  enter  into  his  design, 
see  what  he  is  about.  God  teaches  us  that  we  must  be 
reduced  to  his  obedience  ;  come  over  to  his  plan  ;  turn 
from  broken  cisterns  that  can  hold  no  water ;  and  pray 

14 


314  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

with  David,  *•  For  thy  name's  sake  lead  me  and  guide 
me."  The  being  enabled  to  begin  this  new  year  with 
putting  up  such  a  prayer,  is  a  token  for  good. 

III.  Consider  the  encouragement  thus  to  pray. 

There  is  scarcely  any  thing  so  positively  asserted,  as 
that  he  that  seeks  shall  find  :  he  that  asks  for  guidance 
shall  be  led.  "  The  meek  will  he  guide  in  judgment ; 
the  meek  will  he  teach  his  way."  Whatever  may  have 
been  our  folly,  ignorance,  or  mistakes,  let  them  only 
teach  us  to  distrust  ourselves ;  and  let  us  learn,  in  fu- 
ture, where  our  true  strength  lies.  We  must  hang 
upon  a  strong  arm  :  we  must  plead  the  promise,  *'  I  will 
guide  thee  with  mine  eye."  God  remonstrates  with 
his  people  ;  "  Oh  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  unto  me ! 
then  had  thy  peace  been  as  a  river !"  If  you  are 
tempted  to  despair  of  help — if  Satan  tells  you  it  is  too 
late — remember,  it  is  an  enemy  who  tells  you  so.  It 
is  our  privilege  to  lift  up  our  heads  with  hope,  and  to 
behold  a  Father  and  a  compassionate  Saviour :  to  see 
light  above  when  we  can  see  none  below  :  to  see  order 
above,  when  our  affairs  are  all  in  disorder  and  confu- 
sion around.  (See  verses  4  and  5  of  this  psalm.) 
Learn  to  imitate  the  child  in  the  dark  :  the  more  it  is 
alarmed,  the  closer  it  clings  to  the  hand  of  its  parent. 
What  a  rock  is  this  to  set  the  sole  of  our  foot  upon ! 

This  psalm  has  a  special  relation  to  Christ,  when  he 
lay  under  the  indignation  of  a  holy  God,  and  said, 
'*  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit."  Let 
us  take  him  as  our  example  :  let  us  turn,  as  "  prisoners 
of  hope,"  to  this  stronghold :  so  shall  we  be  enabled  to 
weather  all  the  storms  of  time  and  eternity.  There  is 
no  way  of  walking  sincerely  but  in  this  way  :  there  is 
no  way  of  avoiding  the  bye-paths,  nor  even  the  snares 
that  are  spread  in  the  right  paths,  bu^  in  this  way. 


PRAYER    FOR    DIVINE    GUIDANCE.  315 

Let  US  hang  upon  an  Almighty  arnn,  and  we  shall  be 
borne  up. 

We  should  embrace  every  opportunity  of  acknowl- 
edging our  Great  Leader.  Wherever  others  look,  let 
us  say,  with  Jehoshaphat,  "  Our  eyes  are  upon  thee." 
Let  us  look  back  through  the  past  year,  and  see  how 
many  mistakes  we  have  made,  and  yet  how  we  have 
been  mercifully  delivered.  Let  us  be  encouraged  to 
pass  through  the  present  year  with  the  same  Guide  and 
Helper.  Let  us  look  to  Him  to  rule  our  rulers,  and 
lead  our  leaders.  Let  each  of  us  say,  I  will  put  my 
soul,  my  affairs,  my  enemies  into  thy  hands :  only,  do 
thou,  *'  for  thy  name's  sake,  lead  me  and  guide  me." 

If  God  is  gathering  one  after  another, — if  bright  and 
glorious  stars  are  taken  away* — if  friends,  if  ministers 
are  removed,  say  with  the  poetess, 

"  Thou  dost  but  take  the  dying  himp  away, 
To  bless  me  with  thine  own  unclouded  day." 

Oh  put  thyself  into  the  place,  and  then  take  what  thou 
wilt :  thou  canst  answer  all  my  necessities  :  mine  eyes 
are  upon  thee  ! 

If  we  have  faith  thus  to  act,  we  shall  not  only  ac- 
knowledge our  Guide,  but  glorify  him ;  and  he  will 
enable  us  to  say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear 
no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me."  Instead  of  having  lost 
my  Guide,  he  will  be  there,  to  lead  me  through  the 
dark  valley  to  an  inheritance  that  fadeth  not  away ; 
and  enable  me,  like  Stephen,  to  look  up  steadfastly  into 
heaven,  and  see  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing 
on  the  right  hand  of  God.  And  soon  shall  we  be 
entering  into  a  state  where  the  sun  and  moon  shall  no 

*  This  refers  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Romaine,  as  appears  in  Mrs.  Cecil's 
notes  of  the  Sermon. 


316  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

more  withdraw  their  shining  :  for  the  Lord  shall  be  our 
everlasting  light,  and  prayer  shall  be  exchanged  for 
praise  !  That  this  may  be  your  happy  case,  and  mine, 
may  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  grant,  for  Christ's  sake  ! 


CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Arise,  and  go  into  the  street  which  is 
called  Straight,  and  inquire  in  the  house  of  Judas  for  one  called 
Saul,  of  Tarsus:  for,  behold,  he  prayeth.— Acts  ix.  12.         [1791.] 

The  account  of  St.  Paul's  conversion  is  short.  The 
chapter  begins  with  informing  us  that  "  Saul,  yet 
breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the 
disciples  of  the  Lord,  went  unto  the  high  priest,  and 
desired  of  him  letters  to  Damascus  to  the  synagogues, 
that  if  he  found  any  of  this  way,  whether  they  were 
men  or  women,  he  might  bring  them  bound  unto  Je- 
rusalem. And  as  he  journeyed,  suddenly  there  shined 
round  about  him  a  light  from  heaven  :  and  he  fell  to 
the  earth,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul, 
Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?" 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  what  a  mighty 
change — what  a  moral  revolution — took  place  in  Saul's 
mind  after  this  spiritual  illumination  of  his  understand- 
ing, and  conversion  of  his  heart.  The  very  first  words 
which  he  utters  are  all  emphatical.  "  And  he  trem- 
bling and  astonished  said,  Lord, — what — wilt  thou — 
have  me — to  do  ?"  Much  of  the  substance  of  true 
religion  is  contained  in  these  words ;  which  express  a 
desire  to  be  instructed  of  God. 

Wherever  this  teachable  spirit  is  divinely  imparted, 
the  Lord  will  always  answer  the  inquiry.     "  And  the 


CONVERSION    OF    ST.    PAUL.  317 

Lord  said  unto  him,  Arise,  and  go  into  the  city,  and  it 
shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do." 

The  use  I  shall  make  of  this  history  is  to  call  your 
attention — 

I.    To    THE    POWER    OF    ClIRIST  ; 
II.    To    THE    GRACE    OF    ChRIST  ; 

III.  To  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  Christ,  in  his  king- 
dom of  providence. 

I.  The  power  of  Christ.  "  Though,"  saith  the 
apostle,  "he  was  crucified  in  weakness,  yet  he  liveth 
by  the  power  of  God."  He  has  ascended  into  heaven, 
but  his  most  glorious  miracles  are  still  wrought  on 
earth  :  and  one  of  them  is  now  before  us.  A  perse- 
cutor is  now  become  a  man  of  prayer ;  and  this  is  a 
much  greater  miracle  than  the  raising  of  a  dead  body. 
If  you  hesitate  for  a  moment  in  regarding  this  as  a 
moral  miracle,  consider  only  what  else  but  Divine 
power  could  have  effected  this  ?  What  could  argu- 
ment have  done  ?  Could  you  have  given  him  eyes  to 
see,  and  the  hearing  ear  ?  Brethren,  the  grandest  of 
all  miracles  is  the  resurrection  of  a  dead  soul !  "  I 
pray  thee,  send  him  to  my  father's  house,"  says  Dives : 
for  if  one  went  from  the  dead,  they  might  receive  a 
shock  ;  they  might  have  thoughts  of  repenting  in  future. 
But  the  question  is,  would  they  have  experienced  any 
change  of  heart  ?  Who  can  change  the  heart  but  He 
that  made  it  ?  The  conversion  of  a  spirit  is  a  Divine 
operation.  "  No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord 
but  by  the  Holy  Ghost :"  the  seat  of  this  change  is  in 
the  heart,  and  will.  Men  may  contend  for  certain 
doctrines  without  any  real  religion.  And  with  respect 
to  the  necessity  of  such  a  change  of  heart,  our  Saviour 
says,  "  Except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little 


318  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

children,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 

Here  is  exemplified  the  power  of  Christ.  We  must 
distinguish  this  from  a  mere  shock  given  to  the  mind, 
and  also  from  a  mere  change  of  creed.  "  If  any  man 
be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature."  A  man  may  join 
a  sect :  but  God  would  have  him  forsake  the  idols  of 
his  heart ;  which  he  cannot  do  until  he  has  experienced 
a  change  of  heart.  Conversion  may  be  distinguished 
in  the  idea  from  regeneration,  but  can  never  be  sepa- 
rated from  it,  any  more  than  a  traveller  disposed  to  go 
in  a  certain  road,  and  one  actually  going  in  it.  John 
iii.  9,  10. 

We  must  learn  from  this,  that  if  we  v/ould  have  any 
thing  effectually  done  in  our  hearts,  we  must  beg  of 
Christ  to  exercise  his  power,  and  renew  them  b}^  the 
effectual  operation  of  his  Spirit.     Let  us  next  consider, 

IT.  The  grace  of  Christ. 

It  is  very  encouraging  when  we  compare  the  doc- 
trine of  the  word  with  the  history  of  the  Church. 
"  Howbeit,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  for  this  cause  I  obtained 
mercy,  that  in  me  first  Jesus  Christ  might  show  forth 
all  long  suffering,  for  a  pattern  to  them  who  should 
hereafter  believe  on  him  to  life  everlastins;."  Now,  let 
us  consider  this  grace  of  Christ,  as  set  forth  and  dis- 
played in  the  case  of  St.  Paul :  "  Behold,  he  prayeth." 

Depend  upon  it,  that  when  there  is  a  gracious  influ- 
ence, a  man  will  begin  to  pray  in  a  new  manner  :  he 
will  pray  with  the  heart.  And  God,  in  his  providence, 
will  bring  about  events,  so  that  a  man  may  be  arrested 
in  his  course  :  and  the  mode  in  which  this  arrest  shall 
take  place,  may  be  very  mortifying  and  disappointing, 
as  it  may  quite  give  another  turn  to  his  intended 
course.     And  this  change  of  circumstances  will  lead  to 


CONVERSION    OF    ST.  PAUL.  319 

prayer.  It  is  in  this  way  men  are  taught  to  pray.  Isa. 
xxvi.  16.  "Lord,  in  trouble  have  they  visited  thee: 
they  poured  out  a  prayer  when  thy  chastening  was 
upon  them."  A  man  in  his  religious  profession  must 
be  thus  arrested,  and  made  to  pray  in  earnest.  Such 
a  spirit  of  prayer  is  promised,  Zech.  xii.  10.  '*  I  will 
pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplica- 
tions :"  I  will  work  this  mighty  miracle. 

There  is  no  question  but  St.  Paul  had  frequently 
prayed  before,  and  yet  it  is  here  mentioned  as  a  new 
thing.  This  will  always  be  an  evidence  to  a  man's 
own  soul,  that  he  has  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious  ; 
he  will  cry  for  help,  for  recovery,  for  life  :  and  he  will 
be  taught,  more  and  more,  his  need  of  grace  :  the 
Spirit  shall  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and  show  them 
unto  him.  This  is  the  work  of  God :  and  we  may 
easily  suppose  what  sort  of  prayer  such  a  man,  in  such 
circumstances,  would  put  up ! 

Nor  let  us  forget  that  the  cause,  the  true  source  of 
all  this,  was  the  grace  of  Christ.  If  any  man  for  a  mo- 
ment should  doubt  whether  this  is  a  fair  account  of  the 
case,  let  him  take  St.  Paul's  own  account  of  the  mat- 
ter :  "  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am  :  and  kis 
grace  which  was  bestowed  upon  me  was  not  in  vain." 
What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  grace,  in  this  verse, 
but  free  favor  ;  pure  sovereign  mercy  ?  He  means  to 
say,  The  Lord  by  his  free  favor  having  made  me  what 
I  am,  has  imparted  his  influence,  by  which  I  labor 
more  than  all :  "  yet  not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  which 
was  with  me."  So  that  it  is  first  a  free  favor  of  selec- 
tion, and  secondly,  an  influential  eflfect  imparted.  St. 
Paul's  own  testimony  is,  "  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners  ;  of  whom  I  am  chief."  But  I 
obtained  mercv,  and  I  stand  forth  "  as  a  pattern  to 


320  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

them  which  should  hereafter  believe  to  life  everlasting." 
Instead  of  disputing  about  grace,  he  cries  out,  "  Oh  the 
depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge 
of  God  1"  No  effect  can  rise  higher  than  its  cause. 
We  preach  not  merely  the  notions,  but  the  power  and 
spirit  of  religion ;  namely,  the  union  of  the  branch  to 
the  vine  ;  that  powder  which  puts  a  man  upon  being  a 
living  martyr.  Nature  can  fight  no  battles  ;  can  win 
no  victories  :  but  grace  can.  But  while  grace  does  all 
this,  it  lays  the  sinner  low.  "  No  flesh  shall  glory  in 
his  presence."  Even  St.  Paul,  a  star  of  the  first  mag- 
nitude, shall  not  open  his  mouth  to  boast ;  but  he  shall 
declare,  to  all  ages,  that  he  obtained  mercy  "  for  this 
cause,"  that  the  grace  of  Christ  might  be  magnified  in 
his  conversion.  '•  That  in  me  first,"  says  he,  that  is, 
in  me  emphatically,  principally,  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
might  appear  to  be  exceedingly  abundant. 

Now,  in  the  mighty  operation  of  this  grace,  we  see 
the  greatest  miracle  performed.  To  call  Saul  the  per- 
secutor "  from  darkness  to  light,"  was  a  greater  miracle 
than  to  call  Lazarus  from  his  grave  :  and  it  is  by  this 
grace  that  the  same  thing  is  still  effected.  A  man  can- 
not say,  I  am  what  I  ought  to  be :  yet  he  may  say, 
"  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  am  what  I  am."  If  I  can 
only  offer  a  poor  distracted  prayer,  yet  it  is  by  grace 
that  I  can  offer  any.  This  participation  of  Divine 
grace  makes  a  most  important  distinction  of  charac- 
ter. It  is  this  that  forms  a  union  between  Christians. 
All  the  rest  is  a  cabal.  Notion  is  not  enough  :  there 
must  be  fruit :  the  apostle  did  not  merely  say  that  he 
had  obtained  mercy  ;  but  he  proved,  by  his  whole 
course,  that  he  was  essentially  different  from  what  he 
was  before  his  conversion.  But  the  text  leads  me  to 
speak, 


CONVERSION    OF    ST.   PAUL.  321 

III.  Of  the  government,  or  providence  of  Christ. 

He  knows  all  our  wants,  and  the  way  to  naeet  them. 
Here  we  find  an  extraordinary  character  arrested  in 
his  course,  struck  blind  ;  to  all  intents,  a  prisoner.  He 
thinks  over  the  miraculous  occurrence  :  he  prays,  he 
waits  in  darkness  :  he  knows  not  what  is  the  process 
which  Christ  designs  :  he  is  without  food  three  days  ; 
for  probably  his  mind  was  too  much  agitated  to  allow 
him  to  eat  or  drink.  But  Christ,  who  watched  over 
him,  knew  all  this  ;  and  therefore  he  employs  a  certain 
disciple,  named  Ananias  ;  to  whom  said  the  Lord  in  a 
vision,  "  Arise,  and  go  into  the  street  which  is  called 
Straight,  and  inquire  in  the  house  of  Judas  for  one 
Saul,  of  Tarsus  ;  for,  behold,  he  prayeth."  I  see  him 
prostrate  before  me,  praying  for  the  instruction  I  am 
about  to  give  him. 

My  dear  hearers,  we  cannot  get  on  but  as  we  lift  up 
our  hearts  to  God  for  his  help  :  we  must  pray,  Lord, 
this  day — this  hour — this  moment — afford  me  aid  ! 
Whenever  God  teaches  a  man  to  pray,  he  always  an- 
swers his  prayer,  by  raising  up  suitable  helps.  While 
Saul  was  praying,  God  was  working  :  q.  d.  He  shall 
not  pray,  and  I  not  hear:  the  proud  Pharisee  is  be- 
come the  praying  penitent. 

Saul's  mind  was  now  prepared  for  Divine  teaching. 
God  had  showed  him,  in  a  vision,  a  man  named  Ananias 
coming  in,  and  putting  his  hand  on  him,  that  he  might 
receive  his  sight.  Ananias  was  afraid,  and  said, 
"  Lord,  I  have  heard  by  many  of  this  man,  how  much 
evil  he  hath  done  to  thy  saints  at  Jerusalem."  Ananias 
here  showed  his  frailty :  we  never  do  so  well  as  when 
we  do  as  we  are  bid. 

But  the  Lord,  having  begun  the  work,  would  go 
through  with  it.     "  The  Lord  said  unto  him,  Go  thy 

14* 


322  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

way :  for  he  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me  to  bear  my 
name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings,  and  the  children 
of  Israel."  Mark  here  how  the  Lord  makes  his  provi- 
dence concur  with  his  designs  of  mercy.  A  good  man 
may  doubt  about  another  good  man  :  he  may  be  back- 
ward to  receive  him  as  a  Christian  brother ;  but  when 
the  Lord  works,  he  makes  every  thing  concur  with  his 
designs  :  he  knows  where  to  find  us  helps,  and  he 
knows  how  to  send  them  ;  and  he  has  promised  to  send 
them.  How  did  he  send  Peter  to  Cornelius  ;  removing 
all  his  scruples !  Well  therefore  may  a  Christian  say 
with  David,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd  ;  I  shall  not 
want." 

The  text  leads  us  to  consider  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
set  up  in  the  world.  For  in  the  conversion  of  eminent 
opposers,  there  is  a  light  set  up  to  demonstrate  to  all 
what  good  old  Simeon  declared,  when  he  embraced  the 
infant  Saviour  in  his  arms:  "A  light  to  lighten  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel."  Here^as 
if  Christ  had  said,  Here  is  my  glory !  not  in  the  glory 
of  earthly  courts,  and  the  childish  show  of  worldly 
pomp:  here  is  my  glory,  "Behold,  he  prayeth  !"  Here 
is  a  pattern  :  here  is  an  act  of  almighty  power  ;  Behold 
it!  Yea,  he  will  soon  preach  the  Gospel,  and  love  me 
more  zealously  than  before  he  persecuted  me ! 

But  whence  had  this  torch  such  power  and  splen- 
dor ?  He  shall  tell  us  himself.  "  When  it  pleased 
God,  who  separated  me  from  my  mother's  womb,  and 
called  me  by  his  grace,  to  reveal  his  Son  in  me,  that  I 
might  preach  him  among  the  heathen  ;  immediately  I 
conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood."  This  is  the  glory 
of  Christ !  this  is  the  encouragement  of  the  Church ! 
She  is  sure  of  acceptance  in  the  beloved  !  "  Since  thou 
wast  precious  in  my  sight,  thou  hast  been  honorable, 
and  I  have  loved  thee."  Isa.  xliii.  4. 


CONVERSION    OF    ST.  PAUL.  323 

Let  me  therefore  call  upon  every  young  person  that 
may  feel  a  religious  impression,  to  cherish  and  to 
nourish  it ;  and  endeavor  to  pray.  If  you  have  been 
enabled  to  say,  Lord  help  me !  cherish  such  a  serious 
desire.  Depend  upon  it,  the  man  that  prays  shall  pros- 
per, for  time  and  eternity.  You  cannot  be  too  much 
impressed  with  how  little  a  man  can  do  for  himself 
We  depend  upon  God  for  the  hour,  the  day,  for  every 
thing ;  all  is  in  the  hand  of  Christ.  The  first  symptom 
of  your  prosperity  will  be,  that  you  look  up  to  Christ. 
A  spiritual  sigh  is  a  blessed  token  from  God :  beware 
of  those  things  that  have  a  tendency  to  put  out  this 
fire. 

And  remember,  he  breaketh  not  the  bruised  reed. 
Perhaps  you,  like  St.  Paul,  are  in  darkness  ;  and  no 
Ananias  appears  to  succor  or  comfort  you.  It  is 
because  the  time  is  not  yet  come.  But  the  time  is 
come  when  you  may  pray.  Ananias  did  not  come  be- 
fore Saul  prayed  ;  for  it  was  said  to  him  of  Saul,  '•'  Be- 
hold, he  prayeth."  Prayer  comes  before  good  things; 
and  it  is  a  token  of  them.  Do  not  despair ;  Christ  is 
able,  and  willing  to  perform  the  same  miracles  still ; 
and  the  same  are  continually  taking  place.  Let  us 
therefore  seek  this  evidence  of  conversion  in  our  own 
case,  and  then  we  shall  experience  all  its  blessed  effects. 
St.  Paul  was  soon  taught  to  glory  in  the  reproach  of 
Christ,  and  to  acknowledge  him  in  the  midst  of  a  scoffing 
world  ;  and  this  will  be  the  case  with  all  who  are  really 
taught  of  God. 

A  Christian  will  ever  be  a  paradox  to  the  world ; 
because,  while  he  renounces  all  things,  he  gains  the 
most.  Whatever  St.  Paul  did  after  his  conversion, 
this  was  ever  his  motto :  **  Yet  not  I,  but  the  grace  of 
God  which  was  with  me."     This  is  walking  with  God. 


324  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS, 

**  I  through  the  law  am  dead  to  the  law,  that  I  might 
live  unto  God." 


THE  CHRISTIAN  SENTINEL 

I  will  stand  upon  my  watch,  and  set  me  upon  the  tower,  and  will 
watch  to  see  what  he  will  say  unto  me,  and  what  I  shall  answer 
when  I  am  reproved.  And  the  Lord  answered  me,  and  said,  Write 
the  vision,  and  make  it  plain  upon  tables,  that  he  may  run  that  read- 
eth  it.  For  the  vision  is  yet  for  an  appointed  time,  but  at  the  end  it 
shall  speak,  and  not  lie:  though  it  tarry,  wait  for  it;  because  it  will 
surely  come,  it  will  not  taiTy. — Hab.  ii.  1 — 3.  [1805] 

Nothing  so  much  degrades  a  rational  man  as  a  want 
of  reflection.  There  are  many  who  pass  through  life 
without  ever  asking,  What  am  I  ?  where  am  I  ?  and 
whither  am  I  going? — In  the  text  we  have  an  example 
of  a  conduct  every  way  contrary  to  this.  No  man 
would  be  destitute  of  instruction  if  he  had  only  this 
book  of  the  Prophet  Habakkuk.  It  contains  much  of 
the  intercourse  between  a  gracious  God  and  a  gracious 
soul.  The  prophet  lived  in  times  very  like  ours.  See 
the  first  chapter,  where  he  complains  to  God  of  the 
violence  done  by  the  abuse  of  the  sword  among  his 
own  people,  and  the  hardships  thereby  incurred  by 
others  ; — God  answers  him,  vers.  6  to  12,  showing  what 
will  be  the  result  of  his  abused  patience  and  long-suf- 
fering :  so  that  the  desolations  of  Israel  would  become 
a  spectacle  to  the  world  ;  and  would  be  typical  of  the 
destruction  to  be  brought  upon  all  the  despisers  of 
Christ  and  his  Gospel.  St.  Paul,  in  Acts  xiii.  41, 
alludes  to  these  threatened  judgments,  brought  upon 
the  land  of  Judah  by  the  Chaldeans.  In  the  12th  verse 
we  have  the  prophet's  answer,  wherein  he  draws  com- 


THE    CHRISTIAN    SENTINEL.  325 

fort  to  his  own  mind  from  the  perfections  of  God,  and 
his  hatred  of  sin ;  his  covenant  in  relation  to  his 
Church,  and  his  righteous  providence.  In  the  text,  the 
prophet  expresses  his  resolution.  He  seems  to  say, 
Now  what  is  the  proper  position  for  me,  as  a  rational 
creature,  to  stand  in ?  "I  will  stand  upon  my  watch, 
and  set  me  upon  the  tower :"  I  will  hearken  to  what 
God  shall  say  unto  me;  and  I  will  consider  also  "what 
I  shall  answer  when  I  am  reproved."  Observe  the 
readiness  in  God  to  answer:  ''And  the  Lord  answered 
me  and  said,  Write  the  vision,  and  make  it  plain  upon 
tables,  that  he  may  run  that  readeth  it."  It  is  "  for  an 
appointed  time,"  and  you  shall  find  that  all  things  are 
ordered  in  truth  and  faithfulness,  though  you  must 
wait :  "  because  it  will  surely  come,  it  will  not  tarry." 
There  are  two  things  especially  which  we  may  learn 
from  this  passage  : — 

I.  The  mind  of  the  prophet,  as  our  example. 
II.  The  MIND  of  God,  as  our  encouragement. 

I.  The  MIND  of  the  prophet  as  our  example.  He 
seems  to  say,  This  is  more  God's  affair  than  mine. 
Therefore,  I  will  stand  and  watch  his  pleasure :  there- 
fore, I  will  put  myself  in  a  position  of  attention  ;  I  will 
use  the  means  to  obtain  his  favor,  even  though  he 
should  shut  me  up  in  this  tower ;  I  will  look  up  to  this 
Omnipotent  Being.  I  will  listen  to  what  he  shall  say 
in  providence,  without ;  and  what  he  shall  say  within, 
to  my  heart  and  conscience.  And  I  will  consider  how 
I  shall  reply,  according  to  the  real  state  of  the  case : 
*'  I  will  stand  upon  my  watch."  I  will  say,  that  I  am 
a  sinner,  waiting  for  an  act  of  grace.  There  is  no 
such  thing  with  him  as  a  lost  case.  I  will  stand  singly, 
and  solitarily.  Here  is  a  plain  example  of  a  public 
spirit.     While  God's  judgments  are  coming  on  the  na- 


326  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

tion,  he  has  a  holy  transaction,  in  regard  to  them,  going 
on  with  God.     Let  us  notice, 

II.  The  mind  of  God,  as  our  encouragement. 

No  sooner  had  the  prophet  made  this  resolution,  than 
God  gave  a  speedy  answer.  As  if  he  had  said,  "  Them 
that  honor  me,  I  will  honor."  I  will  give  you  a  special 
direction.  '*  Write  the  vision,  and  make  it  plain  upon 
tables."  It  is  truth  ;  and  truth  will  not  bow  to  man ; 
it  is  man's  wisdom  to  wait  patiently  for  God.  I  must 
teach  you  patience :  but,  depend  upon  it,  you  shall  not 
wait  in  vain.  And  while  it  appears  that  they  who 
wait  for  God  shall  not  be  ashamed,  tell  also  him  whose 
soul  is  lifted  up,  that  he  is  not  upright :  he  is  all  wrong : 
"but  the  just  shall  live  by  his  faith  ;"  by  faith  he  shall 
be  enabled  to  wait:  by  faith  and  patience  he  shall 
conquer  every  thing ;  both  as  it  concerns  this  world 
and  the  next.  Though  the  vision  is  yet  for  an  ap- 
pointed time,  "at  the  end  it  shall  speak,  and  shall  not 
lie;  it  will  surely  come,  it  will  not  tarry." 

1st.  In  improving  this  text,  I  shall  consider  it  as  it 
bears  a  public  aspect.  It  shows  that  a  man  may  be  a 
true  believer  and  yet  not  lose  sight  of  the  things  around 
him,  though  his  affections  are  "on  things  above." 
Habakkuk  seems  to  say,  I  see  the  state  of  public  affairs, 
and  will  treat  with  God  on  the  subject.  He  is  found 
at  his  post,  and  in  the  path  of  duty :  he  does  not  lose 
his  hope ;  on  the  contrary,  he  says,  "  Although  the  fig- 
tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the 
vines  ;  yet  I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the 
God  of  my  salvation.'*  He  resolves  that  nothing  shall 
drive  him  from  the  path  of  duty :  because,  though 
things  at  present  appear  disastrous,  "  the  vision  is  yet 
for  an  appointed  time,"  therefore  he  will^  endeavor  to 


THE    CHRISTIAN    SENTINEL.  327 

discover  what  part  he  has  to  act  in  the  day  of  trial ; 
and  then  he  will  leave  all  to  God. 

2ndly.  The  text  has  a  private  aspect;  and  we  may 
receive  strong  comfort  from  it.  It  teaches  the  believer 
not  to  take  his  eye  off  from  God  as  his  reconciled  Fa- 
ther in  Christ  Jesus.  The  world  within  us,  i.  e.  the 
world  in  our  hearts,  affects  us  much  more  than  any 
thing  exterior.  The  prophet  teaches  us,  in  this  respect, 
that  it  is  a  blessed  occasion  which  sends  us  to  the 
watch-tower ;  (for  sometimes  our  duties  with  men 
make  us  forget  our  duties  with  regard  to  God ;)  and 
that  those  who  wait  upon  God,  may  expect  an  answer 
from  him.     It  is  a  blessed  distress  that  sends  us  to  God. 

When  God  tells  us  his  mind,  and  his  designs,  he 
means  to  exercise  our  faith.  Everv  worldly  man  is 
carried  away  by  his  passions  ;  but  the  believer  is  taught 
to  wait  God's  time  and  will.  Such  shall  hear  a  word 
behind  them,  saying,  "  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it, 
when  ye  turn  to  the  right  hand  and  when  ye  turn  to 
the  left :"  they  shall  have  a  Guide,  and  a  Protector. 
Our  wisdom  is  to  acknowledge  that  God  is  wiser  than 
we  are ;  and  this  will  form  the  best  ground  for  our 
faith  and  patience  ;  we  must  regard  the  wisdom  of  God 
as  to  time  ;  and  the  faithfulness  of  God  in  regard  to  the 
fulfilment  of  what  he  has  said ;  and  the  power  of  God 
to  fulfil  his  largest  promises.  Every  other  ground  of 
expectation  everlastingly  disappoints  us :  but  we  may 
always  stand  upon  this. 

3rdly.  The  text  presents  a  broad  and  general  aspect. 
"  Write  the  vision,  and  make  it  plain  upon  tables,  that 
he  may  run  that  readeth  it."  No  one  shall  be  able  to 
say  he  could  not  see  it.  This  is  the  ground  of  our  au- 
thority, as  ministers,  that  every  thing  necessary  to  our 
salvation  is  written  plainly  upon  tables.  It  is  not  ne- 
cessary, as  many  think,  that  critical  points  should  be 


328  ORICrNAL    THOUGHTS. 

explainea  before  we  can  take  a  step.  Has  any  one 
thought  with  seriousness  and  earnestness,  Who  will 
not  acknowledge  that  this  plain  revelation  is  prefera- 
ble, for  a  dying  creature,  to  all  things  else  ?  and  that 
all  things  else  are  in  comparison  molehills  and  nought? 
Who  will  doubt,  that  a  calm,  sober  Christian,  does  not 
possess  more  than  all  the  world  can  offer  ? 

Therefore,  with  respect  to  this  general  aspect,  Where 
do  you  stand  ?  Where  is  your  watch-tower  ?  In  order 
to  stand  in  the  day  of  judgment,  the  just  must  live  by 
faith.  You  have  a  warrant  to  say,  "  I  will  stand  upon 
my  watch,  and  set  me  upon  the  tower,"  and  I  will  wait 
to  hear  what  the  Lord  God  shall  say  unto  me.  A  word, 
or  a  desire,  shall  not  be  disregarded. 

Our  situation  as  sinners,  like  that  of  the  threatened 
Jews,  is  very  awful.  Whether  we  are  old  or  young, 
rich  or  poor,  in  health  or  sickness,  there  is  nothing  sub- 
stantial in  what  we  possess  here  below  :  the  duration 
of  that  w^hich  we  call  our  "  something  "  is  so  very  pre- 
carious ;  and  death  will  so  soon  close  the  scene  with 
us  all.  The  Gospel  may  be  compared  to  a  vision,  "  for 
an  appointed  time."  There  is  "  a  day  of  visitation"  in 
which  we  must  know  and  embrace  the  things  which  be- 
long to  our  peace :  the  Gospel  offers  us  comfort  and  sup- 
port under  all  trials,  as  well  as  deliverance  from  all  our 
enemies ;  and  we  have  the  full  assurance  that,  at  the  end 
of  this  vision,  God's  people  shall  inherit  the  promises. 

Some  may  say.  If  every  thing  is  thus  fixed,  and  ap- 
pointed, what  is  the  use  of  praying  ?  I  answer.  It  is 
God's  appointed  way  and  means  of  our  obtaining  spir- 
itual blessings.  Daniel,  when  he  understood,  by  books, 
the  number  of  the  3^ears,  whereof  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  that  he  would  accom- 
plish seventy  years  in  the  desolations  of  Jerusalem ; — 
yet  set  his  face  unto  the  Lord  God,  to  seek  by  prayer 


THE    SAFE    COVERT.  329 

and  supplications,  with  fasting,  and  sackcloth,  and 
ashes.  The  Lord  had  said  by  Jeremiah,  chap.  xiv.  "  I 
know  the  thoughts  that  I  think  towards  you,  thoughts 
of  peace,  and  not  of  evil,  to  give  you  an  expected  end. 
Then  shall  ye  call  upon  me,  and  ye  shall  go  and  pray 
unto  me,  and  I  will  hearken  unto  you.  And  ye  shall 
seek  me,  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for  me  with 
all  your  heart."  Our  greatest  need  of  faith  and  patience 
is  when  we  are  not  assisted  by  the  external  senses,  but 
are  told  to  expect  that  which  we  can  see  no  signs  of 


THE  SAFE  COVERT. 

Come,  my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut  thy  doors 
about  thee :  hide  thyself,  as  it  were  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  in- 
dignation be  overpast. — Isa.  xxvi.  20.  [1795.] 

Nothing  seems  more  unbecominjr  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  nothing  seems  less  his  duty,  than  to  turn  a  day 
appointed  for  fasting,  prayer,  and  humiliation,  into  a 
day  of  political  disputation.  We  are  called  to  regard 
the  arm  of  the  Lord  lifted  up,  God  stretching  out  his 
hand  against  profaneness,  superstition,  and  atheism, 
and  shaking  the  nations  in  his  anger.  There  is  no  one 
who  does  not  allow  the  present  times  to  be  portentous, 
alarming,  and  eventful.  God  seems  about  to  punish  ; 
man  is  a  mere  instrument :  whatever  scourges  are  sent, 
God  is  to  be  seen  and  confessed  as  the  Author,  and  we 
must  address  ourselves  to  him  as  the  First  Cause. 
Let  us  endeavor  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  out  Saviour,  and 
see  all  things  in  God,  and  God  in  all  things  :  for  God 
hath  not  ceased  to  act,  and  to  direct  whatever  is  going 
on  in  the  world.     Let  us,  therefore,  attend  to  the  ex- 


330  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

hortation  and  invitation  of  the  text.  There  is  a  posi- 
tion in  which  to  meet  God,  as  humble  penitents  bowing 
before  him.     I  propose, 

I.    To    CONSIDER    THE    SENSE    OF    THE    TEXT  ; 
II.    To      MAKE      AN      APPLICATION      OF      IT     TO     THREE 
CLASSES    OF    PERSONS. 

I.  The  LANGUAGE  OF  THE  TEXT  is  hkc  that  of  a 
father  addressing  his  children,  and  calling  them,  when 
in  danger,  to  a  place  of  refuge.  "Come,  my  people," 
or,  my  sons,  my  purchased  ones,  separated  out  of  the 
world  by  the  love  of  the  Father,  quickened,  made  alive 
to  God,  you,  who  have  God  made  visible  to  your 
hearts,  endearing  him  to  you  : — "  Come,"  seek  a  hiding- 
place  before  the  storm ;  seek  retirem.ent,  to  pour  out 
your  hearts  before  God,  as  you  cannot  before  any 
friend  :  go  to  your  cJiamber,  as  you  are  taught  to  go 
there  :  go,  and  treat  with  God,  for  yourselves  and  for 
the  nation  :  go,  and  "  hide  yourself  as  it  were  for  a  little 
moment  ;"  God  has  promised  to  hide  thee  under  his 
wings,  and  to  keep  thee  as  the  apple  of  his  eye. 

It  costs  something  to  be  a  Christian  ;  but  he  has  his 
privileges :  one  of  which  is,  to  be  allowed,  like  Moses, 
to  get  into  the  cleft  of  the  rock  while  the  Lord  passes 
by.  "  He  that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste."  A 
Christian  has  always  an  answer  to  every  thing  that 
threatens  : — "  A  man  shall  be  as  an  hiding-place."  Isa. 
xxxii.  2.  If  you  have  religion  only  as  a  name,  no  won- 
der if  you  have  not  the  comfort  of  it.  A  Christian, 
like  Noah,  has  an  Ark  ;  and  he  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  floods. 

"  Hide  thyself  as  it  were  for  a  little  moment."  "  Our 
light  affliction,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  which  is  but  for  a  mo- 
ment, worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory."     Prayer  and  humiliation  are  God's 


THE    SAFE    COVERT.  331 

appointed  means  of  meeting  trouble :  and  wonders 
have  been  wrought  by  them. 

*' Until  the  indignation  be  overpast:  for,  behold,  the 
Lord  Cometh  out  of  his  place  to  punish  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  for  their  iniquity."  Behold !  come,  and 
look !     Consider,  what  God  is  about  to  do ! 

Whatever  judgments  are  abroad  in  the  earth,  the 
people  of  God  may  enter  into  their  chamber,  and  shut 
their  door,  resting  secure  in  the  friendship  of  Him 
who  has  promised  to  be  a  sun  and  a  shield,  and  to  give 
grace  and  glory :  this  is  to  dwell  in  Goshen  ;  to  have 
"  a  covert  from  the  storm,"  Isa.  xxxii.  There  is  no- 
thing too  great  to  be  accomplished  by  an  almighty 
arm. 

Humiliation  becomes  a  sinner  at  all  times.  When 
we  turn  over  the  public  and  private  leaf  of  our  history, 
we  have  no  need  of  the  cabinet  to  tell  us  that  '*'  to  us 
belongeth  confusion  of  face."  Every  one,  both  minis- 
ters and  people,  must  individually  smite  upon  his  breast 
and  acknowledge,  "  We  have  sinned  and  have  com- 
mitted iniquity,  and  have  done  wickedly  in  departing 
from  thy  judgments." 

The  true  believer  is  an  enlightened  philosopher.  He 
looks  through  the  instrument,  and  sees  the  sword  in  the 
hand  of  God.  "  His  anger  is  not  turned  away,  but  his 
hand  is  stretched  out  still."  In  order  to  meet  divine 
judgments,  there  must  be  national  reformation.  We 
avow,  by  our  meeting  together  this  day,  that  national 
humiliation  becomes  us,  and  that  the  Lord  alone  can 
deliver.  "Cursed  is  man  that  trusteth  in  man,  and 
maketh  flesh  his  arm."  Every  national  sin  is  a  na- 
tional sword.  There  are  national  evils  which  have  not 
been  sufficiently  marked.  One  of  these  is,  pride.  We 
give  vice  the  names  of  virtue  ;  and  talk  of  "  a  becom- 
ing pride ;"  "  a  noble  pride."     But  God  hates  pride, 


332  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

and  stands  determined  to  resist  it.  *' A  haughty  spirit 
goes  before  a  fall."  Another  national  evil  is  profaneness, 
and  sitting  in  the  seat  of  the  scorner.  Are  not  our 
ears  shocked  by  profane  swearing  ?  and  our  eyes  by 
Sunday  newspapers  ?  Is  not  the  Sabbath  desecrated 
to  secular  purposes  ? 

There  never  was  a  national  institution  or  appoint- 
ment which  certain  men  in  the  nation  have  not  scorned 
and  abused.  But  let  those  who  hear  men  talk  proudly, 
remember  the  case  of  Rabshakeh,  Isa.  xxxvi.  And  let 
them  learn  of  Hezekiah  to  commit  the  affair  to  God, 
who  will  set  his  mark  upon  every  fasting,  praying 
soul.  .  A  Christian,  in  observing  this  day,  looks  farther 
than  to  the  appointment  of  the  prime  minister :  for  he 
sees  that  "  though  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  yet 
joy  Cometh  in  the  morning." 

II.  By  way  of  application  of  this  subject,  let  me 
address  three  classes  of  persons,  who  will  meet  this  in- 
vitation in  three  different  ways. 

The  first  class  is  awfully  described,  in  verses  10  and 
11  of  the  chapter  of  the  text.  ''  Let  favor  he  shown  to 
the  wicked,  yet  will  he  not  learn  righteousness."  These 
are  practical  Atheists.  But  can  presumption  prove  a 
shelter?  The  scorner  has  no  hiding-place.  Where 
can  the  sinner  run  when  he  has  turned  his  back  on 
God  ?  What  other  proposal  remains  ?  What  other 
expectation  can  there  be?  *'ln  that  day  did  the  Lord 
God  of  Hosts  call  to  weeping,  and  to  mourning,  and  to 
baldness,  and  to  girding  with  sackcloth :  and  behold 
joy  and  gladness,  slaying  oxen,  and  killing  sheep,  eat- 
ing flesh  and  drinking  wine  ;  Let  us  eat  and  drink  ;  for 
to-morrow  we  shall  die.  And  it  was  revealed  in  mine 
ears  by  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  surely  this  iniquity  shall  not 
be  p*urged  from  you  till  ye  die,  saith  the  Lord  God  of 


THE    SAFE    COVERT.  333 

Hosts."  Isa.  xxii.  12 — 14.  "Behold,  ye  despisers,  and 
wonder,  and  perish."  Acts  xiii.  41.  The  day  is  coming 
when,  if  you  had  a  thousand  Vv^orlds,  you  would  give 
them  all  for  a  "  hiding-place." 

The  second  class  includes  those  who  are  disposed  to 
pay  some  regard  to  religion  :  they  will  observe  a  day 
of  fasting  and  prayer  like  the  present ;  and  as  far  "as 
the  mere  outward  acknowledgment  goes,  they  may  be 
accepted,  as  were  the  people  of  Nineveh ;  yet,  as  to 
their  real  character  before  God,  they  are  formalists. 
Their  character  is  described,  Isaiah  Iviii.  "  Yet  they 
seek  me  daily,  and  delight  to  know  my  ways,  as  a  na- 
tion that  did  righteousness."  If  there  is  one  sin  that 
calls  louder  than  another  for  God's  judgments,  it  is  a 
dead,  lifeless  religion  ;  the  form  of  godliness  without 
the  power.  The  prophet  Isaiah  was  commanded  to 
lift  up  his  voice  like  a  trumpet,  to  cry  aloud  against 
such  formality,  and  to  show  the  people  their  sin.  Such 
a  form  is  indeed  better  than  contempt  of  all  religion  : 
yet  it  may  be  said  to  a  person  of  this  class,  "  One  thing 
thou  lackest,"  namely,  the  power  of  religion.  Such 
worshippers  have  never  prostrated  themselves  as  sin- 
ners before  God,  or  sought  the  influences  of  his  Holy 
Spirit.  I  would  say  to  theai,  A  time  is  coming,  when 
you  will  need  the  power  of  religion.  You  will  shortly 
have  more  formidable  enemies  to  meet  than  those  which 
would  attack  your  country :  you  must  wade  through 
deeper  waters — the  waters  of  death.  There  is  a  holy 
God  whom  you  must  meet :  there  is  another,  and  a 
grander  peace  which  you  must  seek — a  peace  with 
God — a  refuge  for  Eternity !  But  there  is  a  limited 
time,  in  which  it  must  be  done.  The  text  says,  there 
is  only  a  "  a  httle  moment"  before  your  worst  enemies 
will  come  on :  only  a  little  moment  before  the  Judge 
will  come,  and  say,  "  Depart,  ye  cursed  !" 


334  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

V 

Oh !  ye  who  never  knew  the  meaning  of  a  broken 
heart,  who  never  loathed  yourselves  as  sinners,  re- 
member the  barren  fig-tree  :  "  Cut  it  down,  why  cum- 
bereth  it  the  ground  !"  Look  at  the  state  of  the  Con- 
tinent! Have  you  not  seen  churches,  and  kings' 
courts,  and  armies  overturned?  The  Son  of  man 
comes  in  awful  providences  to  remind  us  of  his  coming 
to  judgment.  Whatever  confidence  some  may  put  in 
chariots  and  horses,  he  only  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted. 

Thirdly,  I  would  address  those  who  rightly  regard 
this  day :  who  recognize  the  hand  of  the  Lord  lifted 
up,  and  whose  language  is  described,  verse  13  :  "O 
Lord,  our  God,  other  lords  beside  thee  have  had  do- 
minion over  us  :  but  by  thee  only  will  we  make  men- 
tion of  thy  name."  You  will  acknowledge  that  a 
public  fast  is  a  good  sign  ;  often,  a  forerunner  of  a 
thanksgiving  day.  It  is  acknowledging  God  in  what 
is  going  on  in  the  world.  You  hear  the  threatenings, 
and  are  warned :  you  are  exhorted  to  '•'  enter  into  your 
chambers,"  and  while  there,  recollect  the  weight  you 
have  added  to  the  sins  of  the  nation.  The  sins  of  this 
third  class  are  different  from  those  of  the  former  two  : 
you  have  access  to  God,  like  Aaron,  Moses,  Joshua, 
Nehemiah,  which  others  have  not,  and  have  also  con- 
solations which  others  have  not.  Take  advantage  of 
this  day  of  public  humiliation  ;  humble  yourselves  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord,  that  he  may  lift  you  up. 

"  Shut  thy  doors  about  thee,"  and  if  it  be  possible, 
shut  the  door  of  thy  heart  against  worldly  cares,  that 
thou  mayest  not  be  unfit  for  the  work  of  humiliation 
and  indignation  against  sin  :  treat  with  God,  as  one 
disposed  to  help — disposed  to  hide  thee  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand  :  "  Come,  my  people  ;"  I  invite  you,  I  allow 
you,  to  state  your  case :  come  and  ple^d  with  me,  as 


THE    SAFE    COVERT.  336 

Abraham  and  Moses  ;  stand,  as  Aaron,  between  the 
living  and  the  dead  ;  stand  in  the  gap :  humble  your- 
selves and  plead  as  Daniel  and  Nehemiah.  See  what 
has  been  effected  by  a  single  intercessor  !  It  will  be 
but  for  a  little  moment  and  all  this  work  of  humiliation 
for  sin  will  be  over,  and  you  will  have  accomplished, 
as  an  hireling,  your  day. 

"  Shut  thy  doors  about  thee"  means  much  :  it  means, 
not  only  shut  out  nonsense,  but  business ;  not  only  the 
company  abroad,  but  the  company  at  home.  It  means, 
Let  thy  poor  soul  have  a  little  rest  and  refreshment, 
and  God  have  opportunity  to  speak  to  thee  in  a  still 
small  voice — or  he  will  speak  in  thunder.  Let  us  be 
found  among  those  who  mourn  for  the  abominations 
which  are  committed,  and  let  us  still  exercise  faith  in 
God.     This  is  being  true  patriots. 

There  is  not  any  thing  which  shocks  me  more  than 
to  hear  men  talk  about  fleets  and  armies  :  as  if  our 
help  could  lie  in  them.  Does  not  every  one  know  how 
little  fleets  and  armies  can  do  without  God  ?  There 
may  be  written  on  them,  Destruction  !  "I  am  Alpha 
and  Omega  :"  let  us  rest  there,  without  caring  how 
little  we  rest  elsewhere.  God  is  a  jealous  God,  who 
has  sent  this  scourge.  Have  w'e  not  translated  the 
atheistical  books  of  the  Continent  ?  Have  we  not 
made  idols  of  its  vices  ?  Has  not  our  taste  been  cor- 
rupted ?  Let  us  see  if  confusion  of  face  does  not  be- 
long to  us.  Our  nation  has  been  a  highly  favored  one  ; 
the  Gospel  has  long  continued  among  us.  But  how 
have  our  privileges  been  abused  !  how  have  we  fol- 
lowed our  own  devices  !  What  a  spirit  of  "  Belial" 
has  infested  all  ranks !  a  yokeless  spirit,  even  among 
children !  When  we  look  over  our  public  and  private 
sins,  we  have  reason  to  smite  upon  our  breasts  and 
say,  God  be  merciful  to  us  sinners !     Let  us,  however, 


336  .  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

commit  the  matter  to  God,  as  Hezekiah  did  :  let  us  put 
our  hand  into  the  hand  of  Omnipotence,  and  let  us 
wait,  in  patience,  prayer,  and  humiliation,  till  he  shall 
send  us  an  answer  of  peace.  The  faithfulness  of  Christ 
is  the  security  of  his  people  in  every  difficulty. 

Lastly,  "  When  ye  fast,  be  not  as  the  hypocrites,  of 
a  sad  countenance  :"  but  do  not  trifle  with  God  ;  ap- 
pear not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  unto  God  ;  and  he  will 
accept  the  aim  and  intention  of  thy  heart.  "  Anoint 
thine  head,"  i.  e.  let  it  be  a  spiritual  business  with 
God.     This  is  what  he  has  promised  to  reward  openly. 


SOLEMN  ADMONITION. 

Be  thou  instructed,  O  Jerusalem,  lest  my  soul  depart  from  thee:  lest  I 
make  thee  desolate,  a  land  not  inhabited. — Jer.  vi.  8.         [1808.] 

I  SCARCELY  need  say,  that  the  design  of  our  meeting 
together  this  day  is,  to  humble  ourselves  before  God,  to 
confess  our  transgressions,  and  seek  mercy  at  his  hand  ; 
imploring  the  Divine  blessing  on  our  endeavors  while 
we  are  combating  with  numerous  and  revengeful  ene- 
mies. Nothing  can  be  more  becoming  than  our  meet- 
ing on  such  an  occasion,  as  children  of  an  oflTended 
parent,  to  hear  his  voice  ;  remembering  that  his  mind 
changeth  not ;  and  that  what  he  said  to  Jerusalem, 
under  similar  circumstances,  he  now  speaks  to  every 
one  of  us  ;  "  O  ye  children  of  Benjamin,  gather  your- 
selves to  flee  out  of  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  blow 
the  trumpet  in  Tekoa,  and  set  up  a  sign  of  fire  in  Beth- 
haccerem :  for  evil  appeareth  out  of  the  north,  and 
great  destruction.     I  have  likened  the  daughter  of  Zion 


SOLEMN    ADMONITION.  337 

to  a  comely  and  delicate  woman.  The  shepherds  with 
their  flocks  shall  come  unto  her ;  they  shall  pitch  their 
tents  against  her  round  about ;  they  shall  feed  every 
one  in  his  place.  Prepare  ye  war  against  her  ;  arise, 
and  let  us  go  up  at  noon.  Woe  unto  us  !  for  the  day 
goeth  away,  for  the  shadows  of  the  evening  are 
stretched  out.  Arise,  and  let  us  go  by  night,  and  let 
us  destroy  her  palaces.  For  thus  hath  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  said,  Hew  ye  down  trees,  and  cast  a  mount 
against  Jerusalem  :  this  is  the  city  to  be  visited  :  she 
is  wholly  oppressed  in  the  midst  of  her.  As  a  foun- 
tain casteth  out  her  waters,  so  she  casteth  out  her 
wickedness:  violence  and  spoil  is  heard  in  her;  before 
me  continually  is  grief  and  wounds."  Jer.  vi.  1 — 7. 

Now  we  are  to  consider  what  the  mind  of  God  was 
towards  this  city ;  and  he  tells  us  in  the  words  of  the 
text,  *'  Be  thou  instructed,  O  Jerusalem,  lest  my  soul 
depart  from  thee  ;  lest  I  make  thee  desolate,  a  land  not 
inhabited.'* 

From  these  words,  I  shall  consider  two  things : 

I.  The    benefit    of    instruction    in    national 

DANGER  ; 

II.  The  destructive  coNSEauENCEs  of  this  in- 
struction   BEING   SENT   IN   VAIN. 

L  The  benefit  of  instruction  in  national 
DANGER.  It  would  be  wasting  your  time  to  say  that 
this  is  a  season  of  national  danger.  Who  does  not 
know  the  ascendency  of  our  enemies  ?  their  surprising 
and  almost  unaccountable  success  ?  Who  has  not 
marked  the  strange  revolt  of  our  allies  ?  Who  does 
not  feel  the  declension  of  our  trade  ?  Who  does  not 
stand  aghast  at  the  consequences  of  such  a  progress  of 
events  ?  I  say.  Who  does  not  know  these  things  ? 
But  with  respect  to  this  last  I  must  say,  Who  does 

15 


338  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

know? — Who  can  conceive  the  consequences  of  our 
being  given  over  as  a  prey  to  their  teeth,  as  many 
nations  on  the  Continent  have  been  ?  And  yet,  I  con- 
fess, I  see  something  worse  than  all  this.  I  think  every 
man  that  knows  the  mind  of  God  and  hisdeaHngs  with 
men,  must  consider  tlie  insensibihty  of  the  people,  and 
the  proud,  haughty,  and  unbending  spirit  of  the  nation, 
as  worse  than  all  that  has  been  done  on  the  Continent. 
The  spirit  of  voluptuousness,  the  impudence  of  infidel- 
ity, the  unsuitable  temper  and  spirit  of  a  people  under 
such  circumstances  !  There  is  something  like  it  in  the 
sixth  chapter  of  the  Prophecy  of  Amos.  "'  Woe  to 
them  that  are  at  ease  in  Zion,  and  trust  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Samaria,  which  are  named  chief  of  the  nations, 
to  whom  the  house  of  Israel  came  !  Pass  ye  unto  Cal- 
neh,  and  see ;  and  from  thence  go  ye  to  Hamath  the 
great :  then  go  down  to  Gath  of  the  Philistines :  be 
they  better  than  these  kingdoms  ?  or  their  border 
gi'eater  than  your  border  ?  Ye  that  put  far  away  the 
evil  day,  and  cause  the  seat  of  violence  to  come  near ; 
that  lie  upon  beds  of  ivory,  and  stretch  themselves  upon 
their  couches,  and  eat  the  lambs  out  of  the  flock,  and 
the  calves  out  of  the  midst  of  the  stall ;  that  chant  to 
the  sound  of  the  viol,  and  invent  to  themselves  instru- 
ments of  music,  like  David ;  that  drink  wine  in  bowls, 
and  anoint  themselves  with  the  chief  ointments  :  but 
they  are  not  grieved  for  the  affliction  of  Joseph." — A 
careless  people,  living  insensible ;  a  hardened  people, 
that  think  nothing  of  the  state  of  the  times,  and  that 
add  to  their  other  crimes  that  monstrous  ingratitude,  to 
say  nothing  else,  that  when  favored  with  the  special 
benefit  of  having  the  Gospel  of  Christ  proclaimed 
among  them,  they  pay  attention  to  almost  any  thing 
rather  than  to  it.  Now  a  father  despairs  of  a  son  that 
is  not  teachable,  that  has  no  ear  to  hear  instruction ; 


SOLEMN    ADMONITION.  339 

but  yet,  because  he  is  a  Father,  therefore  he  calls  in 
the  text — "  Be  instructed,"  that  is,  be  instructed  of  thy 
need  of  instruction.  Men  will  spend  their  money  or 
their  labor  for  almost  any  thing  else  ;  but  as  to  instruc- 
tion, as  to  gaining  knowledge  of  God,  of  his  word,  or 
of  themselves — nothing  is  so  nauseous,  nothing  so  un- 
pleasant. Be  sensible  of  thy  need  of  instruction,  pay 
attention  when  it  is  sent  to  thee  ;  and  not  only  hear, 
but  receive  what  you  hear,  lay  it  to  heart,  remember 
that  God  speaks  to  thee,  accept  it  whether  he  send  it 
by  this  or  that  person  ;  be  I'eady  to  say,  as  we  may 
suppose  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  did  to  Phihp — You  seem 
to  be  but  a  poor  man,  and  travelling  through  a  desert ; 
but  if  you  know  any  thing  that  I  know  not,  come  up 
into  the  chariot  and  teach  me — instruct  me.  "  Be  thou 
instructed" — not  only  hear  it,  attend  to  it,  and  lay  it  to 
heart ;  but  act  upon  it,  dread  the  rejection  of  it ;  ac- 
knowledge the  grace  that  sends  it  thee.  While  a  man 
takes  pains  to  instruct  his  friend  or  his  son,  there  is  a 
proof  of  his  affection.  Acknowledge  therefore  the 
grace  that  sends  the  instruction.  While  God  has 
drawn  his  sword,  he  seems  to  say — Yet  endeavor  to 
use  the  means  that  shall  put  it  back  in  the  scabbard  ; 
prize  the  grace  that  shows  the  consequences  of  reject- 
ing it :  consider,  that  in  rejecting  it,  my  soul  will  depart 
from  thee. 

Thus  speaks  the  Lord  to  every  one  of  us  this  day ; 
he  says  to  you,  and  he  says  to  me — "Be  thou  instructed, 
O  Jerusalem!"     This  leads  us  to  consider, 

IL  The  destructive  consequences  of  such  in- 
struction BEING  refused. 

"  Be  thou  instructed,  O  Jerusalem,  lest  my  soul  depart 
from  thee,  lest  I  make  thee  desolate,  a  land  not  inhab- 


340  ORIGINAL    TIIOUGHTB. 

ited."     If  you  are  not  instructed,  my  soul  will  depart 
from  thee,  and  I  shall  make  thee  desolate. 

This  expression,  "  Lest  my  soul  depart  from  thee," 
does  not  mean  the  loss  of  God's  special  influence.  Our 
Church  very  properly  instructs  us  to  pray  with  respect 
to  this — "Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  us" — but  this 
is  not  the  design  of  the  expression  here :  it  reads,  as 
you  will  see  in  the  margin,  "  Lest  my  soul  be  loosened 
or  disjointed  from  thee."  Jf  a  man  has  been  the  sup- 
port of  his  friend,  what  will  be  the  consequence  of  his 
forsaking  him  ?  If  a  mother  goes  into  the  street,  and 
leads  her  infant  by  its  hand,  what  will  be  the  conse- 
quence of  her  letting  go  that  hand  ?  Perhaps  it  is 
trampled  under  foot, — it  is  destroyed.  Now  such  an 
idea  is  conveyed  in  these  words,  "Be  instructed  there- 
fore," for  there  is  a  separation  betvveen  us,  and  the 
consequence  of  that  is,  that  you  will  be  left  desolate. 
As  if  God  had  said — I  have  been  your  protector,  I  have 
supported  you,  I  have  said  to  your  inveterate  enemies, 
*' Hitherto  shalt  thou  come  and  no  further."  But  if 
God  be  separate,  disjointed  from  the  soul,  if  ''my  soul 
depart  from  thee,"  lay  to  heart  the  consequences :  for 
if  I  depart,  I  depart  as  your  protector,  I  depart  as  your 
best  and  Almighty  Friend,  I  become  an  enemy,  I  shall 
make  thee  desolate ! 

Perhaps  you  \vill  say  to  me — "  Are  not  these  figura- 
tive expressions?  Are  we  to  understand  them  in  a 
literal  sense?"  Now  I  ask  in  reply,  Did  such  a  thing 
ever  happen  ?  These  were  words  directed  to  Jerusa- 
lem. Did  such  a  thing  as  is  here  predicted  ever  act- 
ually happen  to  Jerusalem  ?  Did  you  ever  read  Jose- 
phus's  account  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ? — He 
who  was  an  eye-witness  and  a  party  concerned,  bears 
a  testimony  of  the  fact  of  the  extreme  misery  of  it,  and 
of  the  exceeding  great  profligacy  of  the  people,  as  if 


SOLEMN    ADMONITION.  341 

they  would  set  God  at  defiance.  All  this  really  hap- 
pened :  for  though  it  seemed  to  be  bulwarked,  and  pro- 
visions laid  up  in  it  for  many  years,  yet  its  time  was 
come  ;  and  God  seemed  to  say — "  I  will  now  fulfil  my 
declaration,  for  Jerusalem  will  not  receive  instruction, 
therefore  I  will  make  it  desolate :  I  will  make  it  a  land 
not  to  be  inhabited  ;  I  will  send  the  multitude  away, 
either  by  the  destruction  of  their  own  hand,  or  by 
their  enemies  leading  them  captive,  and  selling  them 
for  slaves." 

I  speak  of  facts ; — you  no  doubt  stand  aghast  at  the 
progress  of  a  tyrant  in  his  conquests,  and  you  seem  to 
think  that  if  we  were  not  surrounded  by  the  ocean, 
there  would  be  no  possibility  of  standing  against  his 
attempts  in  this  country.  You  conjectures  but  scarcely 
feel  able  to  conjecture,  upon  the  consequences,  if  that 
wiere  to  befall  you.  But,  my  dear  hearers,  I  wish  you 
to  consider  more  seriously,  the  consequences  of  God's 
departing  from  you:  "  Be  thou  instructed,  O  Jerusa- 
lem, lest  my  soul  depart  from  thee."  It  is  an  infinitely 
more  dreadful  thing  for  God  to  depart  from  us,  than 
for  a  tyrant  to  take  possession  of  us.  Consider  the 
awful  consequences  of  God's  giving  us  up,  and  depart- 
ing from  us,  and  no  longer  being  a  wall  of  fire  round 
about  us  to  defend  us  iVom  our  enemies.  "I  will," 
says  God  on  another  occasion,  "  return  to  my  place, 
till  they  acknowledge  their  offence,  and  seek  my  face ; 
in  their  affliction  they  will  seek  me  early."  They  shall 
know  the  truth  of  my  declaration — "  Woe  unto  them 
when  I  depart  from  them!"  Suppose  the  sun  were  to 
withdraw — what  a  horrible  darkness  would  you  see  at 
noon !  "  God  is  our  sun  and  our  shield,"  while  he 
stays  ;  but,  if  "  his  soul  depart  from  us,"  if  he  leave  us 
to  ourselves,  if  we  can  no  longer  cry  to  him  as  our 
Patron  and  Friend  that  has  so  long  protected  this  coun- 


342  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

try,  woe  unto  us.  Woe  unto  us  if  he  depart  from  us ! 
A  man  may  attempt  to  brave  consequences,  and  go 
forth  as  Samson  went  out,  trusting  in  his  own  strength ; 
and  in  confidence  of  a  supernatural  ability,  he  may  say 
with  Samson,  "  I  will  go  forth  and  shake  myself  as  at 
other  times  :"  but  what  will  follow?  He  said  it,  indeed, 
"  but  he  wist  not  that  the  Lord  was  departed  from 
him."  Look  at  Samson,  the  man  that  had  borne  away 
the  gates  of  Gaza,  and  slain  a  thousand  men  with  a 
jawbone,  and  whose  name  was  "  terror."  But  look 
again  at  Samson,  when  the  Lord  departs  from  him ;  he 
gives  him  up  to  the  infatuation  of  a  base  woman,  and 
then  makes  him  grind  in  a  prison-house,  the  basest  of 
slaves.     "  The  Lord  w^as  departed  from  him." 

Turn  your  eyes  to  such  a  city  as  Nineveh :  an  im- 
mense, and  powerful  city.  She  humbled  herself  indeed 
upon  one  occasion,  was  instructed  in  such  a  degree  as 
to  obtain  a  reprieve ;  but  nobody  now  knows  where 
Nineveh  stood  ;  the  very  foundations  are  quite  de- 
stroved. 

Look  at  Babylon,  the  proudest  city  in  the  world. 
The  Lord  precisely  foretold  the  destruction  of  this 
place,  and  the  consequences  of  his  departure  :  and  now 
the  shepherds  cannot  find  a  place  to  build  a  booth  in 
it;  a  traveller  dares  not  come  near  it.  It  gloried  in  its 
vast  strength :  but  when  the  Lord's  time  was  come,  in 
the  midst  of  its  gayety  and  profligacy,  it  was  brought 
down  to  the  dust.  So  you  may  say  with  respect  to 
Jerusalem,  and  the  seven  churches  of  Asia,  from  whom 
the  Lord  hath,  as  he  declared  he  would,  "  taken  away 
the  candlestick."  He  has  long  done  this,  and  they 
stand  as  a  monument  of  what  it  is  for  the  Lord  to  de- 
part. 

And  so  with  all  our  resources,  and  the  proud  speeches 
that  men  make,  and  the  capacity  they  seem  to  find  in 


SOLEMN    ADMONITION.  343 

US  to  defend  ourselves  in  all  cases.  But  I  would  ask 
such  a  man  a  single  question,  ''What  if  God  means  to 
humble  us  ?  What  if  God  say,  "  I  will  make  thee  deso- 
late, a  land  not  inhabited,  my  soul  shall  depart  from 
thee,"  what  then  ?  Will  you  be  so  foolish,  so  mon- 
strously absurd  and  unbelieving,  as  to  talk  of  ships, 
or  men,  or  counsellors,  or  resources  of  any  kind  ?  Hath 
any  one  ever  hardened  himself  against  God  and  pros- 
pered ?  Can  you  tell  me  the  page  of  history  where 
any  such  case  occurred  ? 

I  can  tell  you  many  where  pride  has  gone  before 
destruction,  and  "a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall,"  but  I 
dei'y  you  to  bring  me  a  single  instance  of  a  case  where 
God  has  sent  his  armies  against  a  proud  and  wicked 
city,  and  that  city  hath  not  fallen  according  as  he  hath 
appointed.  ' 

If  God  means  to  humble  us — and  he  hath  appointed 
this  Scripture  to  warn  us — if  God  means  to  humble  us 
— what  is  to  prevent  ?  Shall  a  foolish,  unthinking,  un- 
meaning man  run  through  his  enumeration  of  our  com- 
merce, wealth,  power,  and  so  on  ?  Pride  may  answer 
like  pride,  but  God  only  can  point  to  the  real,  the  only 
means  of  deliverance,  w^hich  he  does  in  the  text,  "  Be 
thou  instructed,  O  Jerusalem." 

I  have  endeavored  to  point  out  the  benefit  of  in- 
struction in  national  danger,  and  the  consequences  of 
rejecting  that  instruction.  Now,  as  we  are  told  in  the 
chapter  out  of  which  the  text  is  taken,  and  in  the 
verse  before  the  text,  that  in  Jerusalem  there  were  a 
desperate  set  of  men,  so  there  are  in  Britain,  men  whose 
faces  are  made  harder  than  a  flint.  They  would  treat 
you,  and  they  would  treat  me,  as  a  set  of  foolish  thought- 
less, infatuated  men,  to  suppose  that  any  thing  can 
be  done  by  religion,  or  by  receiving  religious  instruc- 
tion—men that  will  not  hear  God  speak.     When  he 


344  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

does  speak,  they  will  not  hear  him  ;  they  will  not  at- 
tend to  his  speaking  either  by  his  providence  or  by  his 
word.  You  may  be  so  unhappy  as  to  dwell  with  such, 
and  you  find  you  can  only  pity  them  and  pray  for  them ; 
for  you  see  plainly  that  men  in  that  spirit  are  actually  set- 
ting God  at  defiance,  and  seem  to  say — their  very  looks 
accompanying  their  speeches — "  Tush,  thou,  God,  wilt 
not  require  it."  As  they  probably  are  not  here,  I  shall 
not  speak  to  such.  But  there  are  two  sorts  of  men  to 
be  found  in  the  Church  upon  almost  all  occasions,  to 
whom  I  shall  endeavor  to  drop  a  word. 

1st.  To  the  man  who  rests  in  the  mere  external  ob- 
servance of  a  public  fast.  Such  a  man  needs  to  at- 
tend to  the  text,  on  this  account — that  he  is  not  yet 
wholly  instructed.  There  seems  to  be  one  thing  very 
remarkable  in  Christ's  ministry  :  He  was  ever  draw- 
ing people  from  the  letter,  the  mere  form  of  godliness, 
and  directing  their  attention  to  the  spirit  and  power  of 
things.  As  for  instance,  "  When  ye  fast,  be  not  as 
the  hypocrites,  of  a  sad  countenance:"  they  make 
strange  figures  of  themselves,  and  put  on  a  great  ap- 
pearance of  humiliation  :  but  they  do  it  "  that  they 
may  appear  unto  men  to  fast."  "  But  thou,  when  thou 
fastest,  anoint  thine  head,  and  wash  thy  face,"  that  it 
may  not  be  a  mere  external  thing,  but  that  thou  mayest 
humble  thyself  in  secret  before  thy  Father  which  seeth 
in  secret,  "  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret,  shall 
reward  the  openly."  Such  a  man,  therefore,  as  I  speak 
of,  is  not  fully  instructed.  He  is  resting  on  the  mere 
external  observance  of  a  public  fast ;  and  yet  I  think  it 
ought  to  be  said  that,  as  far  as  he  goes,  he  is  to  be 
commended,  for  he  is  paying  a  public  homage  to  God. 
And  it  would  be  well  if  we  all  recollected,  upon  gen- 
eral occasions  as  well  as  this,  that  it  is  no  small  thing 
for  a  man  to  pay  public  homage  to  God.'    So  far  from 


SOLEMN    ADMONITION.  345 

it  being  a  small  thing,  it  seems  to  have  saved  Nineveh 
upon  a  particular  occasion.  I  consider  that  the  fast 
of  Nineveh  consisted  very  much  in  external  observa- 
tion. They  do  not  seem  to  have  had  any  means  of 
spiritual  instruction,  or  of  being  prepared  to  meet  God 
"  in  spirit  and  in  truth"  upon  the  occasion.  And  yet, 
notwithstanding  the  peevishness  of  the  prophet,  God 
pleaded  their  cause. 

Certainly,  whatever  was  the  case  of  Nineveh,  there 
was  nothing  more  than  an  external  observance  in  the 
fast  of  Ahab.  "  Ahab  humbled  himself,  and  lay  in 
sackcloth,  and  went  softly ;"  and  God  says  of  Ahab, 
"  Seest  thou  how  Ahab  humbleth  himself  before  me  ? 
I  will  not  execute  mine  indignation  in  his  time." 

Yet  you  must  remember,  from  this  circumstance, 
that  Nineveh,  and  much  more  Ahab,  needed  instruc- 
tion ;  therefore,  to  "  people  who  draw  near  to  God  with 
their  lips,  w^hila  their  hearts  are  far  from  him,"  I  would 
say  in  the  words  of  the  text,  "  Be  thou  instructed,  lest 
my  soul  depart  from  thee,  and  I  make  thee  desolate." 

Be  instructed  in  the  particular  which  you  have  been 
hearing  this  morning ;  in  which,  while  a  man  rested  in 
his  external  observation,  thanking  God  that  he  was  not 
like  other  men,  the  I^ord  points  us  to  the  character  of 
the  publican,  the  broken-hearted  spirit  that  he  would 
accept.  I  call  upon  such,  therefore,  to  pray  for  a  re- 
newed mind  upon  this  occasion  ;  that  God  would  hum- 
ble their  spirits,  and  enable  them,  in  private  as  well  as 
in  public,  to  appear  before  God  as  sinners,  and  to  re- 
member that  he  is  a  Spirit,  and  will  be  w^orshipped  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  Endeavor,  therefore,  to  seek  the 
face  of  Go.d  this  day,  when  you  are  gone  from  the 
church,  and  beg  of  him  the  best  of  his  gifts — a  humble 
and  contrite  heart. 

But,  2ndly,  there  is  another  class  of  men  to  whom  I 

15* 


346  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

would  speak  a  word.  I  ought  to  suppose,  that  many 
in  this  congregation  are  desirous  of  instruction. 
When  they  hear  the  Lord  in  this  passage  say,  "  Be 
thou  instructed,  O  Jerusalem,"  they  are  ready  to  put 
up  a  prayer,  at  the  same  time,  '  O  God,  instruct  me  ac- 
cording to  thy  word  ;  see  what  is  wrong  in  me,  enable 
me  to  see  it,  and  to  be  humbled  for  it ;  enable  me  to 
see  what  I  have  contributed  to  the  weight  of  the  guilt 
of  the  nation.'  If  such  a  one  should  say,  '  What  is  my 
particular  duty,  things  being  as  they  are,  considering 
the  state  of  the  times,  and  considering  that  God  in  his 
providence  has  called  me  this  day  to  humble  myself 
before  him,  that  I  may  be  ready  to  meet  all  circum- 
stances which  he  may  think  proper  to  bring  upon  this 
nation  ?  What  should  I  do  V — I  should  advise  and 
counsel  you -to  imitate  the  children  of  Israel  upon  the 
occasion  mentioned  in  the  ninth  of  Exodus :  "  To- 
morrow," says  God,  "  will  I  bring  a  very  grievous  hail 
upon  the  land  of  Egypt,  such  as  hath  not  been  since 
the  foundation  of  it  until  now.  Send  therefore  now, 
and  gather  thy  cattle,  and  all  thou  hast  in  the  field  ;  for 
upon  every  man  and  beast  which  shall  be  found  in  the 
field,  the  hail  shall  come  upon  them,  and  they  shall  die. 
He  that  feared  the  word  of  the  Lord  made  his  servants 
and  his  cattle  flee  into  the  houses,"  and  of  them  there 
was  not  one  dead.  These  were  wise  men,  they  fore- 
saw  the  evil  and  hid  themselves.  Now  he  is  a  wise 
man,  in  this  day,  who  shall  put  himself  in  position,  and 
while  he  meets  the  event,  stands  upon  a  rock  that  is 
higher  than  he  ;  that  has  found  a  shelter,  and  gets  under 
it.  "Come,  my  people,"  saith  the  Lord — it  is  the 
Lord's  advice  to  you — ''  come  my  people,  enter  thou 
into  thy  chambers,  and  shut  thy  doors  about  thee,  hide 
thyself  as  it  were  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  indigna- 
tion  be   overpast."     Get   into   position.      The    Lord 


SOLEMN    ADMONITION.  347 

cometh  at  a  time  that  you  think  not  of — "  as  a  thief  in 
the  night :" — stand  ready  to  meet  him,  "  with  your 
loins  girded,  and  your  lights  burning."  "  Come  thou, 
and  all  thy  family,  into  the  ark." 

The  Christian  is  a  public-spirited  man,  and  ought  not 
to  think  merely  of  himself.  Does  a  national  concern 
press  this  day  ?  let  us  all  imitate  Jehoshaphat — "  Be- 
hold," says  he,  "  O  God,  how  they  requite  us,  to  come 
to  cast  us  out  of  our  possession,  which  thou  hast  given 
us  to  inherit.  O  our  God,  wilt  thou  not  judge  them  ? 
for  we  have  no  might  against  this  great  company  that 
cometh  against  us,  neither  know  we  what  to  do,  but 
our  eyes  are  upon  thee." — Weak  and  ignorant  as  we 
are,  we  would  "  take  hold  of  thy  strength." 

Let  us  imitate  this.  Let  us  think  of  others — of  the 
nation  at  large.  If  we  know  not  what  4o  do,  let  our 
eye  be  so  much  the  more  directed  to  God,  who  does 
know  what  to  do.  If  the  trouble  and  danger  is  very 
threatening,  let  us  remember  one  more  passage  :  in  the 
ninth  chapter  of  the  prophecy  of  Ezekiel.  "I  saw," 
says  the  prophet,  "six  men  come  from  the  way  of  the 
higher  gate,  which  lieth  toward  the  north,  and  every 
man  a  slaughter  weapon  in  his  liand  ;  and  one  man 
among  them  was  clothed  with  linen,  with  a  writer's  ink- 
horn  by  his  side  :  and  they  went  in,  and  stood  by  the 
brazen  altar.  And  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  was 
gone  up  from  the  cherub,  whereupon  he  was,  to  the 
threshold  of  the  house.  And  he  called  to  the  man 
clothed  in  linen,  which  had  the  writer's  ink-horn  by  his 
side  ;  and  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Go  through  the  midst 
of  the  city,  through  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  set  a 
mark  upon  the  foreheads  of  the  men  that  sigh  and  that 
crv  for  all  the  abominations  that  be  done  in  the  midst 
thereof.  And  to  the  others  he  said  in  mine  hearing, 
Go  ye  after  him  through  the  city,  and  smite :  let  not 


348  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

your  eye  spare,  neither  have  ye  pity  :  slay  utterly  old 
and  young,  but  come  not  near  any  man  upon  whom  is 
the  mark." 

Now  we  should  seek,  brethren,  whatever  consequen- 
ces may  follow,  to  be  among  them  that  have  God's  mark 
— his  mark  of  favor,  and  protection,  and  approbation  ; 
to  be  among  those  that  he  has  appointed  to  be  his  jewels 
in  the  great  day  of  account ;  whom  he  has  promised 
to  guide  by  his  counsel,  and  afterward  to  receive  to 
glory. 

At  the  same  time,  while  thus  careful  to  meet  conse- 
quences, we  should  not  forget  that  we  are  here  to  thank 
him  that  in  the  midst  of  judgment  he  has  remembered 
mercy  to  this  land  : — that  while  other  nations  lie  pros- 
trate, while  their  very  names  and  their  bounds  seem 
to  be  forgotten,  we  stand  here  a  monument  of  the  grace 
and  the  goodness  of  God.  God  grant  that  we  may 
still  stand  as  a  monument  of  mercy  and  grace,  and  that 
we  may  stand  here  and  forever  for  Christ's  sake  1" 

[Preached  Feb.  17th.     On  the  2d  of  March  following,  Mr,  Cecil  had 
that  seizure  of  paralysis  which  closed  his  public  ministry.] 


RECTITUDE  OF  THE  DIVINE  ADMINISTRATION. 

Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  7 — Gen.  xviii.  25. 

fl805.] 

In  this  passage  we  have  the  example  of  Abraham  in- 
terceding for  Sodom.  The  general  proposition  con- 
tained in  this  text  is — that  the  judgments  of  God  are 
ALWAYS  RIGHTEOUS  JUDGMENTS.  Howcver  iguoraucc 
may  misconstrue,  and  impatience  question,  there  are 
but  two  things  needful  for  the  full  illustration  of  this 


RECTITUDE  OF  THE  DIVINE  ADMINISTRATION.  349 

truth  ; — namely,  time  and  trust.     "  Shall  I  hide  from 
Abraham  that  thing  which  I  do  ?"     The  argument  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  Apostle,  Rom.  iii.  5,  6. 
I  shall  observe, 

I.  That  it  is  the  high  privilege  of  a  true  believer 
TO  place  unlimited  confidence  in  the  consideration 
OF  his  Judge,  under  all  bereaving  providences. 

II.  That  it  gives  good  evidence  of  a  man's  having 

BEEN  TAUGHT  OF  GoD,  WHEN  HE  HAS  A  PRACTICAL  AND 
READY  APPLICATION  OF  THIS  CONFIDENCE  UPON  ALL  OC- 
CASIONS. 

I.  It  IS  THE  HIGH  PRIVILEGE  OF  A  BELIEVER  TO  PLACE 
UNLIxMITED  CONFIDENCE  IN  GoD  UNDER  ALL  CIRCUMSTAN- 
CES. It  is  easy  to  say  this  ;  but  it  is  of  vast  importance 
to  practise  it.  In  awful  providences — such  as  have 
lately  hung  over  us — to  consider  that  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment are  still  in  God's  hands  ;  that  he,  as  the  Judge 
of  all  the  earth,  will  do  what  is  right — and  that  though 
the  present  scourge  of  Europe,*  like  another  Sennach- 
erib, may  be  suffered  to  go  forth  and  madly  resolve  to 
do  whatever  his  ambition  points  out ;  yet,  that  God 
sitteth  above  the  water-floods,  and  remaineth  a  King 
forever," — saying  to  the  proud  menacer  of  the  nations 
— "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further  ;" — this 
shows  a  right  position  of  mind.  Now,  do  we  believe 
this  ?  or  do  his  threatenings  shake  our  confidence  ? 

1st.  A  practical  application  of  this  consideration  has 
a  tendency  to  compose  the  mind  under  bereaving  cir- 
cumstances. It  was  Abraham's  privilege  to  be  able  to 
place  an  unlimited  confidence  in  the  commands  of  God. 
We  see  this  principle  manifesting  itself  in  his  prompt 
and  resigned  obedience  when  commanded  to  offer  up 

*  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 


350  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

his  son  Isaac  ;  and  this  exercise  of  faith  reconciled  him 
to  the  bereavement.  Now,  under  all  trials  and  bereav- 
ing providences,  to  have  this  sentiment  ever  at  hand — 
"  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?"  and 
with  Job  to  say,  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away  ;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord  ;" — 
such  a  practical  adoption  of  this  proposition  tends  to 
quiet  the  mind,  and  lead  it  to  rest  in  the  character  of 
God.  What  must  have  been  the  anguish  of  Aaron 
when,  in  one  day,  he  lost  both  his  sons,  Nadab  and 
Abihu  !  Yet,  he  "  held  his  peace  ;"  fully  persuaded, 
that  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  must  do  right.  So, 
under  the  same  conviction,  Eli  exclaimed,  when  in- 
formed of  the  judgments  which  should  befall  his  house, 
"  It  is  the  Lord  ;  let  him  do  what  seemeth  him  good." 
2ndly.  This  practical  application  of  the  text  tends  to 
quiet  the  mind  with  regard  in  the  mysterious  doctrines 
of  dimne  7'evelation.  I  open  my  Bible,  and  see  mys- 
terious doctrines  as  to  the  eternal  decrees  :  the  text 
settles  them.  I  read  the  doctrine  of  the  eternal  pun- 
ishments of  the  wicked.  In  the  lively  exercise  of  a 
believer's  privilege,  I  say,  in  reference  to  this  awful 
and  astonishing  fact — "  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth  do  right  ?"  If  he  has  annexed  such  a  punish- 
ment to  sin,  I  am  taught  to  "  flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come."  I  am  out  of  my  place  if  I  question.  How 
can  I  expect  to  understand  infinite  perfection  ?  So 
with  respect  to  the  justification  of  a  sinner.  Instead 
of  asking  how  the  innocent  should  suffer  for  the  guilty, 
it  is  my  privilege  to  believe  :  and  to  say,  "  Shall  not 
the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  rio;ht  ?"  It  is  absolute 
rebellion  to  cavil.  The  same  may  be  said,  if  we  ask, 
how  prayer  can  be  efficacious.  What  can  a  finite 
creature  know  of  an  infinite  nature,  ov  of  an  infinite 
government  ?     It  is  enough  for  us  to  know  that  prayer 


RECTITUDE  OF  THE  DIVINE  ADMINISTRATION.         351 

is  }3leasing  to  God — that  he  acts  upon  it ;  and  will  a 
proud  cavilling  spirit  help  us  out  of  the  difficulty  ?  We 
may  say  w^hat  Eliphaz  said  to  Job — "Are  the  consola- 
tions of  God  small  with  thee  ?  What  is  man  that  he 
should  be  clean  ?  and  he  that  is  born  of  a  woman  that 
he  should  be  righteous  ?"  Faith,  in  the  highest  degree, 
does  not  make  void  the  necessity  of  practical  religion : 
no  man  was  a  more  devotional  character  or  had  more 
of  practical  religion  than  Abraham.  The  wicked  speak 
either  scoffingly  or  ignorantly  of  God  ;  as  if  all  was 
mercy  and  there  was  no  justice.  Let  no  man  deceive 
himself  with  vain  words  ;  if  he  live  after  the  flesh  ho 
shall  die. 

11.  It  gives  good  evidence  of  a  man's  being  di- 
vinely TAUGHT,  TO  HAVE  A  READY  APPLICATION  OF  THIS 
TRUTH  UPON   ALL  OCCASIONS. 

This  is  the  proper  exercise  of  faith.  It  was  said  of 
an  eminent  philosopher,*  that  the  first  lesson  he  taught 
his  pupils  was  silence.  Another  philosopher,  when  a 
pupil  was  brought  to  him  that  he  might  learn  to  speak, 
demanded  a  double  price  ;  and  when  the  reason  of  this 
demand  was  asked,  he  replied,  "  Because  I  must  first 
teach  him  silence,  and  then  teach  him  to  speak." 
Thus,  one  of  the  first  lessons  which  God  teaches  his 
children  is,  to  be  silent.  "  Nevertheless  I  will  remem- 
ber my  covenant  with  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
and  I  will  establish  unto  thee  an  everlasting  covenant : 
that  thou  mavest  remember  thv  ways  and  be  con- 
founded,  and  never  open  thy  mouth  any  more  because 
of  thy  shame,  when  I  am  pacified  towards  thee  for  all 
that  thou  hast  done,  saith  the  Lord  God."  Ezekiel 
xvi.  60 — 63.     Thou  shalt  open  thy  mouth  no  more  to 

*  Pythagoras. — Ed. 


352  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

boast,  censure,  or  complain.     Here  was  a  practical  use 
of  the  proposition  in  the  text. 

To  teach  this  more  effectually  is  one  of  the  ends  of 
afflictive  dispensations.  What  a  distinguished  example 
was  Ignatius  of  patience  and  resignation  to  the  divine 
will :  in  the  midst  of  suffering  saying  with  St.  Paul, 
"  None  of  these  things  move  me  !"  It  was  said  of 
Fenelon,  Archbishop  of  Cambray,  that  when  he  heard 
of  the  death  of  his  favorite  pupil,  the  Duke  of  Burgun- 
dy (with  whom  all  his  earthly  prospects  seemed  to  die), 
he  calmly  observed,  "  There  are  all  my  hopes  cut  off! 
but  if  the  turning  of  a  straw  would  bring  him  to  life 
again,  I  would  not  do  it." 

I  could  not  help  being  struck  at  the  reply  lately  made 
by  one  of  my  hearers.  When  tidings  were  suddenly 
and  unexpectedl}'  brought  him  that  a  great  part  of  his 
fortune  was  cut  off,  he  immediately  answered,  *'  It  is 
the  Lord  :  I  have  not  a  word  to  say!"  Such  a  ready 
application  of  the  truth  which  we  have  been  consider- 
ing, glorifies  God :  it  acknowledges  his  perfections :  it 
manifests  a  broken  and  a  contrite  spirit:  it  is  following 
the  example  of  our  blessed  Master,  "who  in  the  days 
of  his  flesh,  when  he  had  offered  up  prayers  and  sup- 
plications with  strong  crying  and  tears  unto  Him  that 
was  able  to  save  him  from  death,  and  was  heard  in 
that  he  feared ;  though  he  were  a  Son,  yet  learned  he 
obedience  by  the  things  that  he  suffered."  But  flesh 
and  blood  can  reveal  this  to  no  man :  it  is  the  special 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Philosophy  may  produce 
stubbornness ;  but  nothing,  except  grace,  can,  or  ever 
will,  enable  us  to  adopt  the  language  of  the  text.  Abra- 
ham was  a  great  man  :  but  see  how  he  humbled  him- 
self before  God :  "  Behold,  now,  I  have  taken  upon 
me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord,  which  am. but  dust  and 
ashes." 


RECTITUDE  OF  THE  DIVINE  ADMINISTRATION.         353 

I  proceed  to  offer  two  or  three  remarks  upon  the 
subject  under  consideration. 

1st.  We  may  perceive,  how  the  text  reconciles  two 
seemingly  opposite  principles — the  decree  of  God,  and 
the  saint's  interposition  hy  prayer.  Here  is  a  man, 
lying  like  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  and  yet,  at 
the  same  time,  in  the  strongest  act  of  importunate 
prayer.  Abraham  is  here  in  all  the  energy  of  inter- 
cession, entreating  for  the  city  of  Sodom.  Hence  we 
learn,  that  the  application  of  this  principle,  while  it  sub- 
jugates our  understanding,  does  not  hinder  our  ac- 
tivity: our  acquiescence  is  not  to  set  aside  exertion :  it 
indicates  faith,  but  not  slothfulness ;  trust,  but  not 
presumption. 

2ndly.  We  learn,  ichat  is  the  privilege  of  prayer :  it 
exalts  man  to  hold  intercourse  with  the  Majesty  in  the 
heavens,  and  gives  him  a  feeling  of  happiness  and  dig- 
nity in  harmony  with  the  immortal  principle  within 
him.  If  we  ask,  how  can  the  government  of  Provi- 
dence admit  any  thing  like  human  interposition  by 
prayer  ?  we  may  learn  from  the  text,  that  a  divine 
administration  is  so  ordered,  as  to  admit  of  a  poor  par- 
ticle of  dust  and  ashes,  coming  and  taking  hold  of  the 
hand  of  Omnipotence,  and  urging  a  suit  before  him 
which  shall  be  successful. 

To  reconcile  providence  with  prayer,  the  Bible  gives 
instances  of  both  the  practice  of  prayer,  and  its  efficacy. 
Such  passages  as  these  are  left  to  instruct  the  humble 
intercessor,  that  prayer  is  not  only  pleasing  to  God,  but 
often  signally  successful.  Therefore  it  is  said,  "  Come, 
my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut  thy 
doors  about  thee :  hide  thyself  as  it  were  for  a  little 
moment,  until  the  indignation  be  overpast."  Isa.  xxvi. 
20.  Zeph.  ii.  3,  "  It  may  be  ye  shall  be  hid  in  the  day 
of  the  Lord's  anger."     When  Sodom  was  destroyed, 


354  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Lot  and  his  family  were  preserved.  And  when  Jeru- 
salem was  destroyed,  with  unheard  of  calamities,  the 
Christians  had  notice,  and  escaped.  In  the  worst  of 
times  God  has  a  remnant :  "  Except  the  Lord  of  Hosts 
had  left  unto  us  a  very  small  remnant,  we  should  have 
been  as  Sodom,  and  we  should  have  been  like  unto 
Gomorrah."  Isa.  i.  9.  St.  Paul  quotes  this  passage  in 
the  ninth  chapter  to  the  Romans.  So  in  Isa.  vi.  13, 
when  speaking  of  the  general  obstinacy  of  the  people, 
and  the  consequent  desolations,  the  prophet  says,  "But 
in  it  shall  be  a  tenth,  and  it  shall  return,  and  it  shall  be 
eaten  :  as  a  teil  tree,  and  as  an  oak,  whose  substance 
is  in  them,  when  they  cast  their  leaves :  so  the  holy 
seed  shall  be  the  substance  thereof."  Our  Saviour  said 
to  his  disciples,  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth."  But 
let  them  take  care  they  do  not  lose  their  savor.  Oh  ! 
how^  worthless  is  a  profession,  if  the  salt  have  lost  its 
savor ! 

In  the  case  of  yVbraham's  intercession,  how  wonder- 
ful was  it  that  he  should  attempt  to  gain  one  conces- 
sion after  another,  till  he  had  brought  it  to  this — "  Per- 
adventure,  ten  shall  be  Ibund  there :  and  God  said,  I 
will  not  destroy  it  for  ten's  sake  !''  Thus  singularly 
successful  was  Abraham's  prayer  ! — So,  \ve  find  Jacob 
saying — "  I  will  not  let  thee  go  except  thou  bless  me." 
Peter  was  shut  up  in  prison ;  but  prayer  was  made 
without  ceasing  of  the  Church  to  God  for  him  ;  and  to 
put  honor  upon  this  prayer,  we  find  an  angel  was  sent, 
to  show  that  such  prayer  was  not  only  pleasing  to  God, 
but  successful.  What  a  singular  instance  has  God 
vouchsafed  to  us  in  answering  our  prayers  for  the 
king's  recovery  to  health  !*  And  surely  we  ought  not 
to  forget  the  prayers  that  have  been  put  up  for  victory 
over  the  armies  of  France  :  and  to  mark  the  success  of 

I. 

*  George  III.,  his  recovery  from  a  second  attack  of  illness. 


RECTITUDE    OF    THE    DIVINE    ADMINISTRATION.  355 

our  armies  in  the  late  victory  !*  The  effect  of  such 
interpositions  in  our  behalf,  should  bring  us  before  God 
in  the  spirit  of  humility  and  thankfulness.  "  Enter  into 
the  rock,  and  hide  thee  in  the  dust,  for  fear  of  the  Lord, 
and  for  the  glory  of  his  majesty.  The  lofty  looks  of 
man  shall  be  humbled,  and  the  haughtiness  of  men 
shall  be  bowed  down,  and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  ex- 
alted in  that  day."    Isa.  ii.  10,  H. 

Chillingworth  says,  "  The  Bible  is  the  religion  of 
Protestants."  We  may  also  say,  the  Bible  is  the  phi- 
losophy of  Christians :  but  of  this  the  mere  philoso- 
phers of  this  world  know  nothing. 

3rdly.  We  should  learn  to  stand  like  Abraham, 
pleading  for  sinners  :  we  should  fear  nothing  but  sin  • 
then  shall  we  have  nothing  else  to  fear.  "  Sanctify 
the  Lord  God  of  Hosts  himself;  and  let  him  be  your 
fear,  and  let  him  be  your  dread,  and  he  shall  be  for  a 
sanctuary."  Isa.  viii.  13.  It  is  useful  for  us  to  think 
often  of  the  evil  of  sin.  We  are  in  danger,  while  living 
in  corrupt  times,  of  losing  our  abhorrence  of  it.  Let 
us  consider  sin  as  the  procuring  cause  of  war  :  for 
though  we  may  look  to  the  second  causes — the  lusts 
and  policy  of  men — yet  sin  is  the  procuring  cause  : 
"  They  chose  new  gods ;  then  was  war  in  the  gates." 
Judges  V.  8.  See  also  the  case  of  Asa,  2  Chron.  xvi.  9, 
compared  with  the  last  verse  of  the  preceding  chapter. 
Why  was  there  no  more  war  ?  Because  the  Lord  was 
worshipped  ;  piety  was  in  the  land,  and  the  high  places 
were  taken  away.  And  why  was  there  afterw^ards 
war  ?  "  Because  thou  hast  relied  on  the  king  of  Syria, 
and  not  relied  on  the  Lord  thy  God."  So  after  David's 
sin  in  the  matter  of  Bathsheba,  notwithstandins;  the 
Lord  had  put  away  his  sin,  yet  God  declared,  "  Now 

*  Nelson's  victory  off  Trafalgar,  October  21,  1805. 


356  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

therefore    the    sword    shall    never   depart  from  thine 
house." 

4thly.  Let  us  consider  the  exceeding  importance  of 
prayer,  both  public  and  private.  Blessed  be  God,  it  is 
not  said  to  us  as  to  the  prophet  of  old — ''  Pray  not  for 
this  people  !"  All  may  join  in  this  duty,  both  young 
and  old.  Let  us  follow  Abraham's  course ;  and  while 
interceding  for  ourselves  and  others,  let  us  acknowledge 
that  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  shall  do  right  ;  and  that 
"  though  clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him, 
righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  his 
throne."    Psalm  xcvii.  2. 


THE  PENITENT'S  RESOLVE. 

Come,  and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord ;  for  he  hath  torn  and  he  will 
heal  us;  he  hath  smitten,  and  he  will  bind  us  up. — Hoska  vi.  1. 

[1795.] 

There  seems  no  truth  more  clearly  revealed  than 
this,  That  if  a  mnn  takes  himself  out  of  God's  hands, 
he  will  not  know  what  to  do  with  himself  The  whole 
of  this  prophecy  shows  that  sin  will  bring  ruin  :  and  it 
shows  the  sinner's  only  resource  under  its  misery ; 
namely,  that  God  has  set  bounds  to  that  ruin  by  pro- 
viding a  remedy  ;  and  it  teaches,  that  there  can  be  no 
healing  without  an  application  of  this  remedy;  that  it 
is  only  in  returning  to  God  we  can  find  recover}'-. 
Whence  we  may  derive  the  following  proposition : 
namely, 

It  is  the  comfort  and  encourage.ment  of  a  peni- 


THE    penitent's    RESOLVE.  357 

TENT    SINNER,  THAT  GoD    WHO    HAS    WOUNDED,  CAN    AND 
WILL  HEAL,   UPON   HIS  RETURNING   AND  REPENTING. 

I  said,  a  penitent  sinner  :  for  there  is  no  comfort  to 
the  impenitent  sinner :  Scripture  brings  out  the  whole 
truth.     Who,  then,  is  the  penitent  sinner? 

The  true  penitent  is  one  who  has  entered  into  the 
chambers  of  his  heart,  and  finds  there  cause  to  cry  out 
with  the  prodigal — "  I  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called 
thy  son  !"  The  language  of  a  penitent  is  found  in  the 
fourteenth  chapter  of  this  prophecy  :  "Asshur  shall  not 
save  us  ;  neither  will  we  say  any  more  to  the  work  of 
our  hands,  Ye  are  our  gods ;  for  in  thee  the  fatherless 
findeth  mercy."  The  penitent  has  a  moral  sensibility ; 
an  illuminated  heart ;  he  sees  God  in  his  own  world  : 
and  while  others,  under  affliction,  are  complaining  and 
vexing  themselves, — looking  no  further  than  at  what  is 
betbre  them, — which  is  the  temptation  of  all  that  com- 
plain about  the  creature, — the  true  penitent  turns  his 
eye  to  Him  that  smites  ;  and  says.  As  to  creatures, 
they  are  but  the  rod  ;  if  I  am  chastised,  and  humbled, 
there  is  a  voice  in  the  correction  ;  it  says,  "  Return 
unto  the  Lord  ;  for  he  hath  torn  and  he  will  heal :" 
Men  and  things  are  only  instruments  :  they  are  thy 
sword.  There  is  a  fine  instance  of  this  in  the  case  of 
David  and  Shimei :  "  Let  him  curse  :  for  the  Lord  hath 
said  unto  him.  Curse  David:"  he  speaks  of  God  as  if 
he  saw  him  only  !  So  in  the  case  of  Job  ;  he  says 
nothing  about  the  Sabeans  and  Chaldeans ;  but  only 
"  Show  me  wherefore  thou  contendest  with  me."  Ob- 
serve the  language  of  the  prophet ;  "  torn,"  "  smitten  ;" 
he  hath  smitten, — as  he  said  he  would  : — Psalm  Ixxxix. 
30,  32.  ''  If  his  children  forsake  my  law,  and  walk  not 
in  my  judgments,  then  will  I  visit  their  transgressions 
with  the  rod,  and  their  iniquity  with  stripes."     "  If  ye 


358  ORIGINAIi    THOUGHTS. 

will  not  for  all  this  hearken  unto  me,  but  walk  con- 
trary unto  me  :  then  I  will  walk  contrary  unto  you  also 
in  fury;  and  I,  even  I,  will  chastise  you  seven  times 
for  your  sins."  Lev.  xxvi.  27,  28. 

One  of  the  most  grievous  things  which  an  enlight- 
ened eye  can  behold  is,  to  see  people  contending  with 
second  causes,  instead  of  seeing  in  every  thing  God's 
hand.  In  their  afflictions  they  sometimes  look  to  their 
minister  to  speak  a  word  of  comfort  to  them  :  but  a 
minister  can  do  nothinoj  till  thev  return  to  God.  What 
can  a  minister  do  for  a  man  who  is  resisting  and  op- 
posing the  very  means  used  for  his  benefit  ?  A  medi- 
cine may  be  very  powerful, — a  surgeon  may  cut  deep, 
— but  if  there  be  a  mortification  in  the  part,  the  means 
will  fail.  In  the  cases  of  men  spiritually,  there  is  often 
unsoundness  at  the  bottom  :  as  it  is  said,  Psalm  Ixxviii. 
"  Their  heart  was  not  right  with  him."  This  unsound- 
ness of  heart  is  the  case  with  multitudes ;  and  it  is  at 
the  bottom  of  all  the  cavils  of  infidels. 

One  of  the  first  symptoms  of  the  heart  being  right 
with  God,  will  be  found  in  the  language  of  the  text : 
*'  Come,  and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord :"  He  has 
smitten  ;  we  have  deserved  it  ;  there  is  nothing  else  to 
be  done  :  "  My  wound  is  incurable,"  but  not  with  God  : 
He  can  bid  me  stretch  out  my  withered  arm.  Another 
symptom  will  be,  when  the  penitent  can  act  upon  a 
command,  and  can  come  and  accept  offered  mercy, 
and  say, — I  would  stretch  forth  my  arm  ;  I  wait  for 
power  to  be  communicated  ;  I  lie  sick  of  the  palsy  ; 
but  I  bring  my  withered  heart  to  him  that  is  the  In- 
carnate God  ;  who  alone  can  lift  me  above  the  ruins 
of  sin  and  Satan,  and  heal  all  my  diseases. 

See  the  language  of  a  penitent  heart,  Psalm  xxxix. 
8 — 13.  "  Make  me  not  the  reproach  of  the  foolish — 
deliver   me   from   all   my  transgressions."      So,  also, 


THE  penitent's  RESOLVE.  359 

Lam.  iii.  27 — 32.  "  He  putteth  his  mouth  in  the  dust ; 
if  so  be  there  may  be  hope."  David  also  says  :  "  It  is 
good  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted."  If,  in  afflic- 
tion, a  man  has  a  proud,  contradictory  spirit,  self-ex- 
cusing, and  disputing,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  heart  is 
false  :  but  if  he  has  learned  to  put  his  mouth  in  the 
dust,  this  contrition  is  the  way  to  solid  peace  and  sat- 
isfaction. "  He  looketh  upon  men,  and  if  any  say,  I 
have  sinned,  and  perverted  that  v^'hich  was  right,  and 
it  profiteth  me  not ;  he  will  deliver  his  soul  from  going 
into  the  pit,  and  his  life  shall  see  the  light."  If  the 
Scripture  pulls  down  the  pride  of  human  nature,  it  also 
points  out  the  remedy — "  Let  us  turn  unto  the  Lord." 
But  how  is  it  that  the  enlightened  mind  returns  to 
God  ?  Not  by  ''  the  letter,"'  which  "  killeth,"  but  by 
"  the  spirit,"  which  "  giveth  life."  He  will  not  look, 
as  a  felon,  to  the  ''  Act  of  Parliament"  that  condemns 
him  ;  but  he  will  look  to  the  Gospel.  Affliction  is  a 
summons  from  God,  for  us  to  come  and  treat  with  him 
in  secret.  Certain  it  is,  that  Christ  is  our  life,  and  that 
his  Spirit  alone  can  revive  us,  and  cause  us  to  grow. 
So  in  regard  to  the  resurrection  ;  if  we  are  delivered 
from  the  grave,  if  not  only  from  the  grave,  but  from 
hell,  it  is  only  through  the  mediation  of  Christ,  and 
through  the  aid  of  the  Spirit.  How  hard  soever  the 
sinner's  heart  may  be,  "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins," — 
however  withered,  it  shall  revive  and  live  at  the  com- 
mand of  Christ ;  for  "  with  the  word  of  a  king  there  is 
power."  There  is  nothing  too  great  for  this  King  to 
give  ;  no  case  too  bad  for  this  great  Physician  to  cure. 
The  Lord  says,  "  O  Israel,  thou  hast  destroyed  thyself, 
but  in  me  is  thy  help !"  He  says  to  the  penitent, 
"  Take  with  you  words  ;" — declare  that,  you  no  longer 
trust  in  your  own  power  to  help  yourself, — "  Take  with 
you  words,  and  turn  to  the  Lord :  say  unto  him,  Take 


360  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

away  all  iniquity,  and  receive  us  graciously  :"— and 
whal  do  we  hear  God  replying  to  this  ?  "  I  will  heal 
their  backsliding,  I  will  love  them  freely:  for  mine 
anger  is  turned  away  from  him.     I  will  be  as  the  dew 

unto  Israel." 

In  conclusion  :  I  may,  perhaps,  be  speaking  to  some 
that  have  been  "  torn"  and  "  smitten,"  in  their  circum- 
stances or  families  ;  and  they  have  a  feeling  and  con- 
sciousness that  they  have  "  sown  the  wind  and  reaped 
the  whirlwind."  To  such  I  would  drop  a  word  or  two 
of  general  remark  on  the  subject :  and, 

1st.  Beware  of  losing  the  henejit  of  the  dispensation 
you  are  called  to  pass  through.  Do  not  lose  it  by  de- 
spair. Every  dispensation  has  its  particular  lesson, 
which  we  should  be  careful  not  to  lose,  either  by  faint- 
ing and  desponding  under  it,  or  by  being  inattentive 
to  it.  *'  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth."  This 
is  far  better  than  if  you  had  been  left  to  your  idols  : 
God  might  have  said,  "  Ephraim  is  joined  to  idols  ;  let 
him  alone." 

2ndly.  Beware  of  losing  the  benefit  of  your  dispen- 
sation by  forgetfulness  of  the  sentiments  and  feelings 
which  you  have,  under  present  sorrows ;  for  this  we  are 
all  apt  to  do.  It  is  astonishing  what  views,  feelings, 
and  sympathies,  a  man  sometimes  has  under  an  afflic- 
tion :  yet  they  soon  vanish.  Affliction  is  the  school  of 
wisdom ;  and  we  should  carefully  record  the  instruc- 
tions we  have  in  it.     "  Set  thee  up  way-marks." 

Srdly.  Beware  also  of  impatience,  and  fretfulness, 
in  walking  through  the  rough  and  thorny  path  before 
you.  We  can  only  improve  a  dispensation  as  we  walk 
with  God  in  it.  We  must  live  and  walk  as  in  his  sight, 
to  know  his  mind.  There  is  also  a  season,  a  proper 
opportunity,  for  relief.  "  After  two  days  he  will  revive 
us :  in  the  third  day  he  will  raise  us  up,  and  we  shall 


THE  penitent's  RESOLVE.  361 

live  in  his  sight."  The  Lord  would  not  keep  the  fur- 
nace heated  so  long,  if  there  was  not  a  good  reason — 
*'  a  needs  be."  Beware  of  hasty  conclusions,  as  if  God 
did  not  know  what  he  was  about,  not  considering  that 
your  present  trials  are  a  part  of  that  course  of  purifi- 
cation which  is  to  prepare  you  for  a  house  above, — a 
part  of  that  blessed  economy  which  is  to  purify  your 
dross.  Be  not  like  to  those  to  whom  it  was  said, — 
Why  should  ye  be  stricken  any  more  ?  "  Humble 
yourselves,  therefore,  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God ; 
that  he  may  exalt  you  in  due  time."  "  If  thou  return 
unto  the  Almighty,  thou  shalt  be  built  up." 

4thly.  Let  us  learn,  that  a  return  to  God  is  the  first 
step  towards  relief  and  deliverance.  Take  care  how 
you  say  in  the  darkest  ciroamstances,  There  is  no 
hope  !  There  is  no  hope  in  any  carnal  expedients  that 
Satan  or  your  own  evil  hearts  can  suggest :  none  but 
God  can  help  :  your  fellow-creatures  may  consider  your 
case  desperate ;  there  are  a  thousand  cases  in  which 
man  can  do  nothing  !  But  if  God  takes  up  your  cause, 
"  is  any  thing  too  hard  for  the  Lord  ?" 

If  we  are  impoverished  and  beggared,  smarting  and 
groaning  under  our  wounds,  yet  if,  at  the  same  time, 
we  feel  a  true  brokenness  of  spirit,  let  us  remember 
Him  who  "  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions  ;"  and 
let  us  take  refuge  in  his  rich  mercy.  Hear  what  he 
says  to  his  backsliding  Israel :  "  In.  a  little  wrath  I  hid 
my  face  from  thee,  for  a  moment;  but  with  everlasting 
kindness  will  I  have  mercy  on  thee,  saith  the  Lord,  thy 
Redeemer."    Isa.  liv.  8. 

5thly.  We  may  observe,  from  this  subject,  that  the 
knowledge  of  true  religion  is  progressive, — there  is  an 
advancing  in  the  work.  In  the  third  verse  we  read, 
"  Then  shall  we  know,  if  we  follow  on  to  know  the 
Lord  ;  his  going  forth  is  prepared  as  the  morning  ;" — 

16 


362  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

there  is  first  a  little  dawn,  then  the  sun  is  just  seen 
above  the  horizon  ;  but  it  looks  brighter  still  in  the 
meridian  splendor !  "  He  shall  come  unto  us  as  the 
rain,  as  the  latter  and  former  rain  unto  the  earth." 
There  is  "first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full 
corn  in  the  ear."  We  are  all  children,  only  of  differ- 
ent growth  :  and  we  must  sit  as  children  at  the  feet  of 
Christ,  and  he  will  teach  us  by  degrees,  as  we  are  able 
to  bear.  We  must  seek  him  by  prayer :  there  is  noth- 
ing done  in  religion  without  prayer.  When  a  man 
has  been  taught  in  the  school  of  Christ,  and  learned 
something  of  the  evil  of  his  own  heart,  and  experienced 
the  power  of  sovereign  grace,  he  becomes  an  extensive 
blessing  to  all  around  him.  Religion  is  a  social  good  : 
it  concerns  us  all ;  and  it  is  an  honor  to  be  a  leader  in 
such  a  cause,  and  to  stand  as  a  witness  of  its  benefits. 
If  Satan  has  his  leaders,  spreading  mischief  on  every 
side,  it  is  an  honor  to  be  one  of  the  first  to  say,  "Come, 
and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord."  God  will  put  honor 
upon  such  :  See  Abraham,  standing  between  the  living 
and  the  dead  !  such  a  man  is  a  public  blessing.  So  in 
regard  to  the  Church :  if  a  man  wishes  to  bring  plausi- 
ble objections,  he  may  find  them  in  every  Church ;  but 
if  a  man  say,  as  a  member  of  the  Church,  "  Come,  and 
let  us  return  unto  the  Lord,"  he  is  a  public  blessing. 
The  same  may  be  said  as  to  a  family  ;  any  one,  even 
a  child,  may  set  a  family  in  a  blaze :  a  wasp  is  a  very 
small  insect,  but  it  can  inflict  great  pain  by  its  sting. 
It  is  an  easy  thing  to  find  cause  of  blame, — "  It  is  this, 
and  it  is  that !"  but  what  is  to  heal  ?  The  holy  reso- 
lution in  the  text — "  Come,  and  let  us  return  unto  the 
Lord  :"  "It  is  the  Lord  that  maketh  men  to  be  of  one 
mind  in  an  house."  God  will  put  singular  honor  upon 
that  person  in  a  family  who,  in  the  midst  of  trials  and 
disorders,  will  call  the  rest  of  the  house  together,  and 


ENCOURAGEMENT    TO    SEEK    AFTER    GOD.  363 

say,  "  Come,  and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord  :  for  he 
has  smitten,  and  he  will  bind  us  up."  God  will  set  a 
mark  upon  him,  as  he  did  upon  Caleb :  "  But  my  ser- 
vant Caleb,  because  he  had  another  spirit  with  him,  and 
hath  followed  me  fully,  him  will  I  bring  into  the  land 
whereinto  he  went ;  and  his  seed  shall  possess  it." 
Num.  xiv.  24.  Man  is  the  helper  of  man  ;  and  God 
has  often  blessed  the  solitary  faith  of  one  man,  far  be- 
yond expectation,  in  his  endeavor  to  maintain  his 
honor  and  service. 

Let  us,  then,  in  every  trouble, — whether  temporal  or 
spiritual, — remember  where  our  true  help  lies.  Let  us 
turn  to  Him  who  has  revealed  himself  to  us  as  "the 
God  of  all  comfort."  Let  us  put  our  whole  trust  in 
Him  who  has  said,  "  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee." 
Exod.  XV.  26. 


ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  SEEK  AFTER  GOD. 

And  I  will  cause  him  to  draw  near,  and  he  shall  approach  unto  me : 
for  who  is  this  that  engageth  his  heart  to  approach  unto  me  1  saith 
the  Lord.— Jer.  xxx,  21.  [1796.] 

< 

These  words  are  understood,  by  some,  to  apply  to 
Christ  as  Governor  and  Mediator :  but  they  will  also 
hold  good  with  respect  to  the  Church.  A  thousand 
texts  might  be  brought  forward  to  show  that  this  is  the 
mind  of  God  with  respect  to  every  man  whom  he  in- 
clines to  do  this ;  /.  e.  to  engage  his  heart  to  approach 
unto  God. 

From  these  words,  I  shall  call  your  attention  to  the 
following  propositions  : 


364  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

I.  That  it  is  man's  grand  privilege  that  he  can 

APPROACH  UNTO  GoD. 

II.  That  he  has  from  scripture  a  special  warrant 

TO   DRAW  NEAR   TO  GoD. 

III.  That  God  engages  for  the  success  of  that 

MAN  WHO  THUS  SEEKS  TO  APPROACH  UNTO   HIM. 

I.  It  is  man's  grand  privilege  that  he  can  ap- 
proach UNTO  God.  We  often  hear  it  made  a  subject 
of  conversation,  afterwards,  when  persons  have  been 
admitted  to  intercourse  with  the  great  and  noble.  But 
how  few  speak  of  the  great  privilege  of  drawing  nigh 
to  God !  for  the  carnality  of  man's  nature  disposes  him, 
like  Adam,  to  fly  from  God.  He  is  afraid  to  approach 
God  ;  he  feels  his  unsuitableness  :  he  can  better  under- 
stand what  was  said  to  Moses,  "  Put  ofl'thy  shoes  from 
off' thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy 
ground,"  than  this.  The  idea  of  drawing  near  to  God, 
of  having  a  new  and  consecrated  way  of  approach  to 
God,  seems  something  strange.  There  is  no  need  to 
try  and  convince  a  man  of  the  great  privilege  of  being 
introduced  to  some  great  personage.  Only  give  him 
an  opportunity  of  this  kind,  and  he  will  tell  every-body 
of  the  honor  conferred  upon  him.  But  when  we  tell 
men  that  God  offers  them  his  favor,  and  the  light  of 
his  countenance,  they  only  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  it.  The 
truth  is,  we  all  labor  in  the  fire  till  the  Son  of  God 
opens  the  deaf  ears,  and  gives  sight  to  the  blind  eyes. 
This  is  conversion  ;  this  is  regeneration.  The  coming 
to  God  by  faith,  is  a  sinner's  taking  hold  of  his  word  ; 
which  is  the  immediate  operation  of  his  Holy  Spirit. 

II.  Man  has  from  scripture  a  special  warrant  to 
DO  this. 

**  I  will  cause  him  to  draw  near,  and  he  shall  approach 


ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  SEEK  AFTER  GOD.     365 

unto  me."  This  generally  takes  place  after  a  long 
course  of  affliction  and  humiliation.  "  Why  criest 
thou  for  thine  affliction  ?  thy  sorrow  is  incurable  for 
the  multitude  of  thine  iniquity  :  because  thy  sins  were 
increased  I  have  done  these  things  unto  thee."  Verse 
15.  It  is  a  blessed  effect  of  chastisement  when  it  leads 
a  man  to  say,  I  will  engage  my  heart  to  seek  unto  God  : 
"  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him."  It  is  the 
heart  the  Lord  inquires  after.  The  man  was  before 
"  like  a  bullock  unaccustomed  to  the  yoke :"  but  God 
now  sees  a  disposition  to  return.  There  is  a  refining 
process  going  on.  The  promises  which  sick  men  make 
in  their  own  strength,  are  all  forgotten  in  returning 
health.  Let  the  rebel  be  turned  off  from  the  stocks, 
and  he  will  show  himself  worse  than  before.  But 
when  God  puts  a  man  under  a  process  of  recovery,  it 
shall  prove  efTectual.  "  For  I  will  restore  health  unto 
thee,  and  I  will  heal  thee  of  thy  wounds,  saith  the 
Lord."  Verse  17.  Thus  it  was  with  David;  he  was 
taught  to  say,  "  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  af- 
flicted !"  So  Hezekiah  :  "  By  these  things  men  Kve." 
There  is  a  refining  process.  The  medicine  may  put  to 
pain,  but  if  it  effects  a  cure,  if  it  teaches  us  what  sin 
is,  if  it  leads  to  dependence  on  God — then  it  is  God 
saving.  "  I  will  cause  him  to  draw  near,  and  he  shall 
approach  unto  me."  I  will  send  affliction,  and  convic- 
tion ;  and  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit :  there  shall  be  "a 
spirit  of  grace  and  supplication." 

Ask  yourself,  What  has  affliction  done  for  me  ?  Did 
I  engage  my  heart  to  seek  God  in  it  ?  Where  are  the 
effects  ?  What  has  become  of  my  impressions  under 
trouble  ?  God  has  sent  his  word  first,  and  then  he  has 
sent  his  providence  to  seal  and  stamp  it.  This  is  not 
to  lead  man  to  sink  into  sullen  despair,  or  plunge  into 
dissipation  to  make  him  forget  affliction ;  but  that  he 


366  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

should  be  taught,  effectually,  that  his  whole  help  and 
deliverance  is  to  be  found  in  God ;  that  he  should  be 
brought  nigh  to  God  :  which  leads  me  to  consider  the 
encouragement  afforded,  namely, 

III.  That  God  engages  for  the  success  .of  that 

MAN  WHO   HEARTILY  SEEKS  TO   APPROACH  UNTO   HIM. 

"  For  who  is  this  that  engageth  his  heart  to  approach 
unto  me  ?  saith  the  Lord."  Who  is  this  ?  This  is  a 
new  and  a  strange  character  in  the  world  !  Who  is 
this  ?  Is  there  such  a  man,  who  seriously  engages  his 
heart — who  prays  earnestly— who  proposes  determi- 
nately  that  the  Lord  shall  be  his  portion  ?  God  says,  I 
will  undertake  for  his  success  !  So  when  king  Josiah, 
having  found  the  book  of  the  law,  rent  his  clothes  from 
a  fear  of  the  Divine  wrath,  and  sent  to  inquire  of  Hul- 
dah  the  prophetess,  she  returned  answer  to  the  mes- 
sengers, "  As  for  the  king  of  Judah,  who  sent  you  to 
inquire  of  the  Lord,  so  shall  ye  say  unto  him,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  concerning  the  words 
which  thou  hast  heard  :  Because  thine  heart  was  ten- 
der, and  thou  didst  humble  thyself  before  God,  when 
thou  heardest  his  words  against  this  place,  and  against 
the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  humbledst  thyself  before 
me,  and  didst  rend  thy  clothes,  and  weep  before  me ;  I 
have  even  heard  thee  also,  saith  the  Lord."  2  Chron. 
xxxiv.  26,  27.  You  see,  therefore,  brethren,  that  if  a 
man  in  that  day,  or  in  any  other  day,  be  disposed  to  re- 
turn to  God  in  true  humiliation  of  heart,  God  engages 
for  his  success  :  ''  He  shall  approach  unto  me,  saith  the 
Lord." 

There  is  a  most  unaccountable  disposition  in  fallen 
man  to  hide  himself  from  himself ;  but  he  cannot  hide 
himself  from  God.  If  he  will  not  prepare  his  heart  to 
seek  God,  he  shall  be  given  up  to  strong  'delusions.     If 


ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  SEEK  AFTER  GOD.     367 

he  will  be  deceived,  he  shall  be  deceived.  But,  on  the 
Other  hand,  if  a  man  has  faith,  only  as  a  grain  of  mus- 
tard seed,  let  him  be  encouraged.  God  has  promised, 
*'  I  will  cause  him  to  draw  near :"  I  will  cause  the  dew 
to  descend  upon  this  single  grain  :  I  will  nourish  and 
cherish  it :  I  will  cause  the  sun  to  shine  upon  it :  I  will 
water  it  with  the  rain  of  heaven. 

By  way  of  improving  this  subject,  I  would  address 
myself, 

1st.  To  young  people.  I  know,  from  the  word  of 
God,  what  is  the  first  object  of  man.  It  is  not  that  to 
which  your  heart  and  mine  attaches  itself  by  nature. 
It  is  no  perishing  thing ;  it  is  not  a  thing  of  a  moment 
— something  that  will  bring  repentance  on  a  death-bed  ; 
but  here  it  is  in  the  text, — "  I  will  cause  him  to  draw 
near,  and  he  shall  approach  unto  me :"  I  will  put  into 
his  heart  a  taste  for  divine  things  ;  a  disposition  to  seek 
after  them  ;  I  will  teach  him.  That  is  good  for  a  man 
which  is^good  for  his  soul ;  and  that  which  is  not  good 
for  his  soul  shall  be  torn  from  him,  with  bitterness. 
When  did  the  prodigal  begin  to  prosper  ?  when  he  said, 
"Give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to  me?'* 
when  he  took  his  journey  into  a  far  country,  and  there 
wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living  ?  No !  "  When 
he  came  to  himself."  When  he  said,  "I  will  arise  and 
go  unto  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him.  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  thee,  and  am 
no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son!"  Prosperity 
\Y\\\  begin  with  you  from  that  moment  in  which  you 
begin  to  engage  your  heart  to  approach  unto  God. 

2ndly.  Let  me  say  to  those  in  affliction, — One  can- 
not but  pity  and  sympathize  with  such.  But  if,  by  af- 
fliction, they  are  taught  the  true  nature  of  their  privi- 
leges, they  will  be  ready  to  say  with  Luther,  "  Lord,  cut, 
strike,  burn  ;  if  I  may  but  live  !"  or,  with  St.  Paul,  "  If 


368  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

by  any  means  I  may  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead."  If,  therefore,  by  your  affliction,  the  Lord  make 
your  soul  to  live,  if  he  cure  a  worse  disease  in  your 
heart  than  any  other,  i.  e.  the  world  in  your  heart ;  if 
you  are  thus  enabled,  in  any  degree,  to  walk  with  God 
in  the  fire,  then  he  w^ill  walk  with  you  in  the  fire.  Leave 
the  gold  to  the  Refiner.  If  he  says,  "  I  will  cause  him 
to  draw  near,  and  he  shall  approach  unto  me,"  that  is 
enough. 

3rdly.  Is  any  one  resolutely  determined,  like  Caleb 
and  Joshua,  to  seek  and  serve  God  ?  Let  him  mark 
the  high  authority  on  which  he  proceeds  ;  and  let  him 
take  encouragement  from  the  only  safe  quarter.  *'  He 
shall  approach  unto  me,  saith  the  lord."  Lay  it  up 
in  your  mind,  that  it  is  not  a  hard  thing  to  please  God. 
Do  not  think  that  religion  is  an  impracticable  thing. 
It  is  not  so.  God  is  very  gracious.  He  says,  "  Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ; 
knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  I  cast  out 
none  that  come  unto  me. 

4thly.  But  are  there  those  who  will  set  all  God^s 
proposals  and  promises  at  defiance  ?  To  such  he  says, 
*'  Behold,  the  whirlwind  of  the  Lord  goeth  forth  with 
fury,  a  continuing  whirlwind  :  it  shall  fall  with  pain 
upon  the  head  of  the  wicked.  The  fierce  anger  of  the 
Lord  shall  not  return,  until  he  have  done  it,  and  until 
he  have  performed  the  intents  of  his  heart :  in  the  lat- 
ter days  ye  shall  consider  it."  Verses  23,  24.  It  is  an 
awful  thing  when  men  only  find  out  God  by  his  judg- 
ments. An  unbeliever  is  a  candidate  for  nothing.  He 
has  no  proposal,  no  object,  no  ground  for  the  sole  of 
his  foot.  What  is  quality  and  rank  ?  What  is  human 
science — though  a  thing  far  more  sublime  than  rank  or 
quality — to  a  man  that  is  without  understanding  ?  and 


THE    STRAIT    GATE.  369 

surely  he  is  without  spiritual  understanding  that  rejects 
the  Gospel. 

The  Bible  gives  the  greatest  encouragement  to  all 
who  seek  God,  and  walk  in  his  ways.  "  The  ways  of 
the  Lord  are  right,  and  the  just  shall  walk  in  them." 
He  shall  know  and  understand  them  :  he  shall  not  only 
set  out,  but  have  strength  to  go  on.  He  shall  have 
provision  all  the  way  :  he  shall  come  safely  to  the  end  : 
and  if  he  meet  with  enemies,  they  shall  not  make  him 
afraid.  It  is  truth  alone  that  will  stand  the  test  of  time 
and  experiment.  God  does  not  leave  a  Christian  to 
doubt  if  there  be  *'  a  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently 
seek  him."     Heb.  xi.  6. 


THE  STMIT  GATE. 

Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate  :  for  wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way, 
that  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat.* 
because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which  leadeth  unto 
life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it. — Matt.  vii.  13.  [1802.] 

There  are  many  desultory  inquirers  after  Christian- 
ity, but  not  many  seriously  disposed  to  hear  a  scrip- 
tural account  of  it.  It  is  a  great  point  to  be  willing  to 
submit  to  the  standard,  with  no  desire  to  lower  it. 

If  we  would  be  Christ's  disciples  indeed,  we  must 
not  ask  the  world  what  it  thinks  of  Christ,  and  his  word, 
but  we  must  sit  at  his  feet,  and  hear  him  say,  "  Enter 
ye  in  at  the  strait  gate."  In  discoursing  on  these 
words,  I  shall, 

I.  Explain  the  terms. 
II.  Answer  a  few  objections. 

16* 


370  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

III.  State  the  doctrine  of  the  text. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  understand  the  text.  Man 
is  a  traveller:  he  must  travel;  it  is  not  put  to  his 
choice,  he  must  go  on.  Here  are  presented  two  roads. 
The  Scripture  knows  of  no  third  path.  It  divides  all 
characters  into  two  classes,  namely,  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked ;  and  these  are  described  as  travelling  in 
two  distinct  paths.  The  latter  are  described  as  enter- 
ing in  at  the  wide  gate,  and  walking  in  the  broad  way : 
because  this  way  will  admit  all  sorts  of  characters — 
all  names  ;  it  will  accommodate  corrupt  nature  in  all 
sorts  of  forms ;  it  will  admit  of  any  incumbrance,  any 
notions  ;  it  will  admit  of  those  swollen  with  pride,  the 
sensualist,  the  formalist,  and  the  hypocrite.  It  will 
conform  itself  to  the  mode  and  fashion  of  the  times. 
You  may  walk  in  this  road  with  reputation,  whether 
you  are  a  Deist,  an  Atheist,  or  a  Socinian.  "  For  wide 
is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  de- 
struction, and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat." 

But  there  is  another  way  spoken  of  here.  "  Strait 
is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which  leadeth  unto 
life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it."  The  true  wav  is 
never  such  as  flesh  and  blood  w^ill  like.  It  is  a  strait 
way,  marked  out ;  and  it  has  its  boundaries.  It  is  a 
self-denying  way,  an  afflictive  way,  and  a  despised  way. 
A  way  hedged  in  by  the  holy  law  of  God  ;  a  way  of 
appointment,  througli  Christ.  This  way  will  make  no 
allowance  for  taste  or  education.  It  will  not  accom- 
modate itself  to  the  fashion  of  the  times.  It  has  no  re- 
gard to  what  is  called  "  respectable  religion."  It  is  the 
way  of  the  new  birth,  the  way  of  regeneration.  It 
counts  all  things  loss  for  Christ.  A  Christian,  while 
walking  in  this  way,  reasons  down  the  reports  of  sense  ; 
for  it  is  a  way  of  faith. 


THE    STRAIT    GATE.  371 

In  old  times,  the  world  was  populous  as  it  is  now. 
But  the  wickedness  of  it  was  so  great  that  "  the  Lord 
said,  I  will  destroy  man  whom  I  have  created  from  the 
face  of  the  earth."  But  a  godly  man  was  warned  to 
prepare  an  ark.  "  The  Lord  said  unto  Noah,  Come 
thou  and  all  thy  house  into  the  ark  ;  for  thee  have  I 
seen  righteous  before  me  in  this  generation.^  Do  not 
debate  about  it  ;  do  not  philosophize  ;  leave  the  man- 
agement of  the  world  to  me  ;  but  enter  thou  into  the 
ark  ;  and  if  there  be  but  eight  persons  within,  be  thank- 
ful that  there  are  eight  saved." 

Christ  says  to  us,  "  I  am  the  door  :  by  me  if  any 
man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved."  No  man  can  go  to 
heaven  who  is  not  determined  to  go  in  this  way  ;  "  All 
that  ever  came  before  me,  are  thieves  and  robbers  : 
but  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them."  They  that  would 
enter  in  at  the  strait  gate,  must  both  stoop,  and  strip. 
But  many  cannot  receive  this  saying.  I  propose  there- 
fore, 

n.    To  ANSWER  SOME  OBJECTIONS. 

Why,  says  one,  if  this  is  the  case,  if  you  will  be  thus 
rigid,  and  take  up  the  text  literally,  you  will  exceed- 
ingly narrow  the  path,  and  exclude  many  good  sort  of 
people.  I  answer.  Should  we  attempt  to  widen  that 
path  which  Christ  has  declared  to  be  narrow  ?  Are 
we  to  give  our  opinion,  or  to  reason  after  our  Lord's 
express  declaration  ?  What  should  be  the  conduct  of 
a  messenger  ?  Is  he  to  alter  or  change  his  message, 
or  to  deliver  it  ?  Is  he  to  accommodate  it  to  corrupt 
nature  ?  God  forbid,  that  we  should  try  to  render  the 
way  more  strait ;  but  God  forbid,  that  we  should  en- 
deavor to  widen  what  he  has  made  narrow  ! 

Again,  it  is  objected,  that  if  we  represent  religion  as 
so  difficult,  people  will  be  deterred  from  it.     But  every 


S72  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS.  _ 

such  objection  is  answered  by  the  verses  which  pre- 
cede the  text :  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek, 
and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto 
you :  for  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth  ;  and  he  that 
seeketh  findeth ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be 
opened.  Or  what  man  is  there  of  you,  whom  if  his  son 
ask  bread,  will  he  give  him  a  stone  ?  or  if  he  ask  a 
fish,  v^^ill  he  give  him  a  serpent  ?  If  ye  then,  being  evil, 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how 
much  more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  him  !" — The  battle  is  not 
ours,  but  the  Lord's.  No  man  ever  sought  scriptu- 
rally,  the  way  of  salvation,  who  did  not  find  it.  Ten 
thousand  witnesses  shall  rise  up  against  that  sluggard 
who  says,  '*  There  is  a  lion  in  the  way  !" 

Another  objection  made  by  the  unrenewed  heart  is, 
that  to  walk  in  this  narrow  way  implies  being  sin- 
gular ; — that  its  motto  is,  "  Come  out  from  among  them, 
and  be  ye  separate."  I  allow  this  objection  :  for  it  is  a 
real  one.  But  w^ho  is  it  that  makes  it  ?  The  world- 
ling— the  sensualist — the  "  lovers  of  pleasure,  more 
than  lovers  of  God ;"  not  those  who  love  Christ :  not 
those,  who  follow  *'  the  footsteps  of  the  flock !" 

When  we  speak  of  singularity,  we  do  not  mean  fa- 
natically singular.  That  is  not  what  Christ  has  com- 
manded. But  if  we  would  contend  for  real  religion, 
we  must  contend  for  determined  singularity,  as  far  as 
Christ  has  commanded  it.  It  is  he  who  has  said, 
"  Strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way  which  lead- 
eth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it."  And  if 
few,  they  must  be  singular.  Those  who  wish  to  walk 
in  this  road,  must  "  mark  the  footsteps  of  the  flock" 
every  step  of  the  way.  They  will  find  this  the  way  in 
which  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  walked.  They  shall 
find,  as  they  proceed,  the  approbation  of  the  Judge. 

15* 


THE    STRAIT    GATE.  373 

There  is  one  more  objection  which  is  frequently 
brought :  namely,  that  our  Lord  says,  Luke  xiii.  24, 
"  Many  shall  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able." 
Here  seems  to  be  an  alarming  objection.  But,  now 
mark  the  Scripture  :  "  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait 
gate  :  for  many,  I  say  unto  you,  will  seek  to  enter  in, 
and  shall  not  be  able."  It  is  one  thing  to  "  strive"  to 
enter  in,  in  a  scriptural  way  ;  and  another  thing  to 
*'  seek  to  enter  in  "  by  a  way  of  our  own  invention. 
St.  Paul  says,  speaking  of  the  Jews,  Rom.  ix.  31,  *'  Is- 
rael, which  followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  hath 
not  attained  to  the  law  of  righteousness.  Wherefore  ? 
Because  they  sought  it  not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by 
the  works  of  the  law.  For  they  stumbled  at  that  stum- 
bling-stone." They  sought ;  but  they  did  not  seek  in 
God's  way.  They  would  seek  to  enter  in  ;  but  not  by 
Christ,  the  door.  They  seek,  but  not  according  to  the 
New  Covenant.     They  seek,  in  their  own  strength. 

If  we  ask  persons  in  this  great  commercial  city,  why 
such  and  such  a  man  does  not  succeed  in  the  object  he 
is  pursuing,  they  will  answer,  Because  he  does  not  take 
the  right  means.  We  should  use  much  prayer  and 
caution  that  we  enter  not  into  bye-paths ;  which  may 
be  known  by  their  appearing  more  easy  and  smooth, 
when  perhaps  the  right  path  is  painful  and  rough. 
Let  us  endeavor  now  more  fully  to 

TIL  State  the  doctrine  of  the  text. 

And  here,  I  would  observe,  what  has  often  struck 
me  in  regard  to  my  own  life — How  little  the  Bible  is 
believed  by  those  who  profess  to  believe  it!  A  man, 
for  instance,  comes  constantly  to  church,  he  hears  the 
minister  read,  in  the  lesson  for  the  day,  "  Enter  ye  in 
at  the  strait  gate."  This  being  a  part  of  the  lesson  for 
the  day,  all  is  right ;  no  one  objects.     But  let  a  man 


374  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

go  from  the  church  into  any  general  company,  and  let 
him  not  use.  perhaps,  the  words  of  the  text,  but  express 
the  sense  of  it — let  him  express  a  fear  that  the  general- 
ity are  walking  in  the  broad  way  that  leadeth  to  de- 
struction— and  what  is  the  language  of  the  company? 
They  are  shocked  at '-'so  uncharitable  an  opinion!"  They 
say,  "  What  a  monstrous  sentiment !"  ''  How  illib- 
eral !"  What  a  narrow-minded  man  !"  And  yet,  what 
has  that  man  said,  but  what  has  just  been  read  in  the 
Bible  ? 

It  is  a  sad  thing  for  a  man  not  to  learn  the  truth  till, 
like  Dives,  he  learns  it  in  hell ! — a  sad  thing  not  to 
know  the  pride  of  our  own  hearts  till,  like  Herod,  we 
are  "  eaten  of  worms  !" — "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  ;  Consider  your  ways.  Ye  looked  for  much,  and, 
lo,  it  came  to  little ;  and  when  ye  brought  it  home,  I 
did  blow  upon  it.  Why  ?  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 
Because  of  mine  house  that  is  w^aste,  and  ye  run  every 
man  unto  his  own  house."  Hag.  i.  1 — 9.  Beware  of 
supineness,  and  negligence.  These  sins  are  as  danger- 
ous as  unbelief. 

Suppose  two  men  were  in  bed,  and  were  told  that  the 
house  was  on  fire.  One  does  not  believe  the  report : 
the  other  is  indisposed  to  stir,  and  says,  There  is  no 
danger  yet !  Both  must  perish. — But  how  solemnly 
soever  our  Lord  has  w^arned  a  careless  world,  he  says 
to  every  seeker  after  God,  The  door  of  life  is  still  open. 
And  though  narrow  and  strait,  he  invites  them  to  walk 
in  it.  Many  are  walking  therein,  and  going  on  their 
way  rejoicing.  "  Having  therefore,  brethren,  boldness 
to  enter  into  the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a 
new  and  living  way,  which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us, 
through  the  veil,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh ;  and  having 
an  High  Priest  over  the  house  of  God;  let  us  draw 
near  with  a  true  heart  in  full  assurance  of  faith,  having 


THE    STRAIT    GATE.  375 

our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience,  and  our 
bodies  washed  with  pure  water.  Let  us  hold  fast  the 
profession  of  our  faith  without  wavering,  for  He  is 
faithful  that  promised."  Heb.  x.  19—22.  "  Behold,  I 
have  set  before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man  can 
shut  it :  for  thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast  kept 
my  word,  and  hast  not  denied  my  name."  Rev.  iii.  8. 

If  the  narrow  way  has  its  difficulties,  it  has  also  its 
consolations.  It  is  a  short  way,  and  Christ  is  walking 
with  us  in  it,  and  affording  us  counsel  and  support  as 
we  go  on.  "  The  temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple 
are  ye."  1  Cor.  iii.  17.  Every  Christian  is  such  a  sa- 
cred shrine. 

That  which  impHes  conflict,  implies  also  the  neces- 
sity of  being  firm  to  our  point.  We  must  "  strive"  to 
enter  in  at  the  strait  gate.  We  must  enter  into  it  de- 
pending on  the  grace  and  strength  promised  ;  and 
making  our  undertaking  a  matter  of  earnest  prayer. 
We  must  endeavor  to  obtain  help  after  help ;  and  take 
step  after  step,  as  we  shall  be  assisted.  We  should  be- 
ware of  the  contagion  with  which  we  are  surrounded. 
Contagion  robs  us  of  our  strength,  and  of  our  judg- 
ment. 

The  very  life  and  spirit  of  every  discourse  and  every 
ordinance  is  the  application  of  it  to  the  conscience. 


376  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


THE  DIVINE  COMFORTER  PROMISED. 

And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,' 
that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever;  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  whom 
the  world  cannot  receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth 
him :  but  ye  know  him ;  for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in 
you.  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless :  I  will  come  to  you. — John 
xiv.  lt>-18.  [ia03.] 

In  taking  up  passages  of  Scripture  like  this,  it  is  of 
great  importance  for  us  to  consider  under  what  cir- 
cumstances, and  to  whom,  such  words  were  spoken. 
Our  Saviour  had  been  speaking  many  comfortable 
words,  previous  to  those  of  the  text.  "  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled :"  though  it  may  be  sad,  at  my  de- 
parture, yet  let  it  not  be  agitated  and  disturbed  like  a 
troubled  sea :  let  it  not  be  afraid,  like  those  who  are 
without  hope,  who  have  no  anchor.  Whose  heart 
soever  is  troubled,  let  it  not  be  yours.  "  Ye  believe  in 
God,  believe  also  in  me,"  that  I  am  the  promised  Mes- 
siah,— "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh ;"  that  I  am  the 
faithful  and  true  witness.  I  am  your  Mediator  and 
Forerunner.  "  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  man- 
sions :"  there  is  a  place  of  rest  for  you.  "  It  is  expe- 
dient for  you  that  I  go  away."  Do  not  be  alarmed 
because  I  leave  you  to  walk  by  faith.  I  go,  upon  your 
business  ;  I  go,  to  prepare  a  place  for  you  :  and  when  I 
have  prepared  a  place  for  you,  and  prepared  you  for  it, 
"I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  In  the  mean  time, 
let  your  heart  take  fast  hold  on  God.  Believe  that  I 
am  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords ;  that  I  am  un- 
changeable, "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.'* 
There  shall  not  an  hair  of  your  head  perish.     Believe 


THE  DIVINE    COMFORTER    PROMISED.  377 

that  I  am  going  within  the  vail,  as  your  great  High 
Priest,  and  that  I  bear  you  on  my  breast.  I  will  inter- 
cede for  you  ;  and  "  if  ye  shall  ask  any  thing  in  my 
name,  I  will  do  it."  "  And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and 
he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you  forever.  ...  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless : 
I  will  come  to  you." 

Now,  to  whom  are  these  comfortable  words  spoken  ? 
Let  not  the  carnal  man  take  up  these  words,  as  ad- 
dressed to  him.  On  the  contrary,  let  him  be  troubled, 
and  exceedingly  alarmed ; — for  he  is  not  acquainted 
with  his  Judge.  These  words  were  spoken  to  Christ's 
true  disciples ;  and  if  we  are  such,  they  are  equally 
spoken  to  us.  There  is  comfort  provided  for  those 
who  are  authorized  to  receive  it ;  that  is,  all  who  be- 
lieve in  Christ.  As  long  as  Christ  is  in  heaven  to  in- 
tercede for  his  Church,  it  shall  never  want  support  or 
consolation. 

I.  I  shall  consider  what  is  contained  in  this  pas- 
sage OF  Scripture  ; 

II.  I  shall  endeavor  to  draw  a  few  inferences 
FROM  IT.  And  in  further  meditating  upon  this  subject, 
let  us  seek  to  behold  it  by  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I.  What  is  contained  in  this  Scripture:  ^' I  will 
pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Com- 
forter''' He  shall  give  you,  not  a  quality,  but  a  per- 
son ;  not  a  comfort,  but  a  Comforter.  One  that  shall 
be  a  consolation;  that  shall  make  his  abode  with  you, 
and  not  be  only  a  transient  visitor.  The  very  best  of 
earthly  comforts  is  but  momentary :  it  is  fleeing  away. 
But  the  Divine  Comforter  shall  abide  with  the  believer, 
and  support  him,  even  on  a  dying-bed.  And  when 
others  faint  with  thirst,  he  says,  "  I  will  pour  water  on 
him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground." 


378  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

"  Even  the  Spirit  of  truth  ;"  the  Spirit  that  shall  re- 
veal truth  to  the  heart,  and  that  shall  seal  and  stamp  it 
thereon  ;  that  shall  implant  in  the  heart  the  real  belief 
and  love  of  it ;  "  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth." 
And  he  shall  remain  with  you  forever. 

*'  Ye  know  him  ;  for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall 
be  in  you."  The  believer  may  not  be  able  to  give  a 
philosophical  account  of  this  divine  influence  ;  but  he 
has  an  inward  witness :  he  feels  under  an  impression. 
"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the  wit- 
ness in  himself."  He  knows  it  as  certainly  as  he  knows 
that  there  is  sap  in  a  tree,  without  which  the  branches 
would  wither  and  die.  He  is  conscious  of  a  quicken- 
ing influence  sent  down  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which 
he  lives,  and  daily  gains  stature.  We  should  consider 
not  only  external  evidence,  but  internal  evidence. 
"  The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that 
we  are  the  children  of  God." 

This  privilege  of  the  Spirit's  indwelling  does  not  de- 
scend from  father  to  son  :  it  is  an  act  of  sovereign 
grace.  Some  totally  deny  the  doctrine.  Some  claim 
the  privilege,  who  have  no  part  nor  lot  in  the  matter. 
But  the  believer  knows  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  most  noble 
witness — as  a  discerning  witness — a  holy  witness.  He 
bears  witness  not  by  instantaneous  impulses,  or  wild 
enthusiastic  impressions,  but  by  his  dwelling  in  the 
children  of  God :  "  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God.*'  He  is  also 
discernible  by  his  operation :  "  And  you  hath  he 
quickened,  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  ;"  he  is 
known  by  his  illuminating  the  understanding — sub- 
duing the  will — captivating  the  affections — conquering 
the  power  of  sin,  so  that  it  shall  not  reign  over  a  be- 
liever— and  by  enabling  him  to  maintain  a  continual 
conflict  against  it.     The  Spirit  also  leads  to  the  blood 


THE    DIVINE    COMFORTER    PROMISED.  379 

of  Christ,  and  by  the  word  of  Christ :  "  If  ye  love  me, 
keep  my  commandments."  This  is  therefore  the  work 
of  a  real  Character ;  a  Glorious  Person  ;  a  living 
breath ;  and  they  that  live,  live  by  him. 

"  Whom  the  world  cannot  receive."  They  who  will 
not  receive  this  truth  must  live  in  a  state  of  error ;  if 
the  world  loves  darkness  rather  than  light,  it  is  because 
its  deeds  are  evil.  And  it  is  no  wonder  that  it  should 
oppose  the  Spirit  of  truth  which  testifies  against  it. 
The  world  is  buried  in  sense. 

The  gift  of  the  Spirit  is  that  peculiar  favor  which 
God  has  prepared  for  his  people.  "  He  that  hath  an 
ear  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  Churches : 
To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hid- 
den manna,  and  I  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in 
the  stone  a  new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth 
saving  he  that  receiveth  it."  Rev.  ii.  17.  The  com- 
forts and  consolations  which  God  imparts  to  his  people 
cannot  be  described,  or  shown.  They  are  only  known 
to  him  who  receiveth  them. 

Every  blessing  of  the  Gospel  is  proposed  to  the  weary 
and  helpless.  A  believer  is  never  bowing  his  knees  in 
prayer  to  God,  but  Christ  is  interceding  for  him  at  the 
same  time. 

"And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you 
another  Comforter."  Christ  makes  intercession  for  us 
in  our  ordinary  aftairs  of  life;  in  our  difficulties  and 
troubles;  and,  more  especially,  that  we  may  have 
strength  in  the  day  of  temptation,  that  our  faith  fail  not. 
Luke  xxii.  32.  He  stands  rebuking  our  adversaries, 
and  defending  our  cause.  We  should  recollect  that 
we  have  no  safety  but  in  Christ,  and  that  our  persever- 
ing in  the  good  way,  and  holding  out  to  the  end,  is  alone 
through  his  intercession  for  us.  Therefore  it  is,  that  the 
smoking  flax  is  not  quenched  ;  that  the  spark  is  kept 


380  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

alive  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean;  and  that,  in  his  own 
good  time,  he  will  bring  us  to  the  mansions  he  has  pre- 
pared for  us. 

"  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless ;  I  will  come  unto 
you."  Ever  since  the  fall,  man  has  been  a  poor, 
needy,  distressed  creature.  The  margin  reads,  "  I  wdll 
not  leave  you  orphans."  Consider  the  state  of  an  or- 
phan ;  how  exposed,  how  destitute,  how  forlorn !  No 
guide,  no  anxious  eye  to  w^atch  over  it,  no  kind  hand 
to  protect  from  evil !  no  education,  no  one  to  instil  right 
principles !  no  one  to  provide  for  it,  and  to  support  it, 
in  weakness  !  Our  Lord  has  said  to  his  people.  This 
shall  not  be  your  case :  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans. 
I  will  send  you  another  Comforter  in  my  place.  I  have 
bought  you  wdth  a  price  :  I  will  take  care  of  you.  Do 
not  be  cast  down  by  my  going  away.  I  will  see  you 
again.  You  shall  hear  my  risen  voice ;  and  after  that 
I  am  ascended  to  my  Father,  I  will  visit  you  by  my 
Spirit :  I  will  meet  you  in  my  ordinances,  and,  at  the 
resurrection,  you  shall  see  me  with  my  glorified  body. 
"I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless."  "I  will  come 
again,  and  receive  you  to  myself;  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also." 

Observe,  our  Lord  does  not  propose  to  his  disciples 
an  exemption  from  trouble ;  but  that  their  heads  shall 
be  kept  above  it,  and  they  shall  have  a  resource  in  it. 
He  does  not  propose  that  his  soldiers  should  not  go  to 
battle,  but  he  intends  they  should  look  to  him  as 
their  Captain.  The  strong  report  of  the  senses  will 
sometimes  raise  a  storm  ;  the  suddenness  of  a  trial  mav 
surprise  and  overset  the  mind ;  but  it  is  our  privilege 
to  look  to  Jesus,  and  we  shall  then  be  enabled  to  walk 
vupon  the  waves.  There  are  many  things  liable  to  dis- 
turb the  peace  of  a  man,  a  mere  letter,  a  message,  &c., 
but  while  we  can  look  to  Christ,  though  the  storm  may 


THE    DIVINE    CONFORTER    PROMISED.  381 

come,  we  shall  be  kept  from  sinking.  The  waters 
shall  be  shallow,  or  deep,  according  as  our  faith  is 
strong  or  weak.  There  is  no  peace  like  that  which 
faith  brings.  We  may  meet  with  rough  roads  :  but  it 
is  said,  "  Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and  brass  :  and  as  thy 
days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  We  may  be  in  temp- 
tation ;  but  Christ  sits  as  a  Refiner.  He  says,  "  I  will 
not  leave  you  comfortless."  I  will  write  you  upon 
the  tablet  of  my  heart ;  and  mine  eye  shall  be  over  you 
for  good. 

The  greatest  potentate  could  not  make  such  a  prom- 
ise as  this.  Comfort  is  God's  prerogative  to  bestow. 
The  creature  can  furnish  none  but  as  God  puts  it  into 
it.  A  prince  may  say.  When  I  am  dead,  my  son  shall 
have  my  vast  estates,  and  my  empire :  but  he  cannot 
say,  "  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless."  He  may  edu- 
cate him,  and  leave  him  great  possessions,  but  if  his 
eyes  are  not  spiritually  opened,  if  God  say,  You  shall 
have  no  teaching  from  me,  if  he  remain  blind  and 
stupid  in  regard  to  the  things  which  concern  his  ever- 
lasting interest,  then  he  will  be  left  comfortless :  he 
will  be  a  beggar  indeed,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  wealth  ! 
Oh  that  we  did  but  contemplate  every  day  the  privilege 
of  being  true  believers  !  Our  language  should  be.  Let 
me  be  any  thing  but  an  orphan !  any  thing  but  left 
"  comfortless !" 

II.  Let    us    draw    a    few   inferences    from    this 

SUBJECT. 

1st.  l(  the  Christian  has  a  Comforter,  such  a  tender 
and  loving  Saviour  ever  present,  then  the  meanest 
Christian^  in  his  lowest  state,  has  a  prospect  which  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  this  world  could  not  afford.  "  The 
world  seeth  me  no  more ;  but  ye  see  me."  In  every 
true  Christian,  there  is  a  Divine  illumination,  which 


382  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

enables  him  to  see  a  Divine  object  by  a  Divine  light. 
There  is  a  prop  under  a  believer,  that  lifts  him  higher 
than  this  world's  highest  pinnacle  !  For  has  the  world's 
highest  pinnacle  any  provision  for  death  ?  Has  it  any 
such  thing  for  its  votaries  ?  The  believer  sees  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness :  he  sees  this  Divine  object  by  a 
Divine  light.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness,  like  the 
natural  sun,  can  only  be  seen  by  its  own  light.  The 
bodily  eyes  of  the  disciples  were  not  different  from 
those  of  others ;  yet  our  Lord  says,  "  The  world  seeth 
me  no  more  ;  but  ye  see  me."  Can  the  world  ever 
present  to  you  such  an  Object  as  this  ?  Go  to  the  rich 
man,  to  the  philosopher,  to  the  man  of  pleasure,  and 
ask  them  to  show  you  what  w^ill  lift  up  your  head  in 
a  dying  hour  ?  Can  they  tell  you  of  a  comforting,  sanc- 
tifying, healing  Spirit?  of  a  Saviour  who  will  come 
unto  vou  ? 

But  do  you  ask.  Shall  I  never  be  disappointed  in 
these  things  ?  What  is  my  security  ?  Our  Saviour 
has  said,  "  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  As  surely 
as  I  have  life,  and  "  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life," 
so  surely  will  I  give,  unto  mine  own,  eternal  life ;  and 
that,  for  evermore.  The  disciples  might  naturally  be 
depressed  by  the  thought  that  their  Master  was  about 
to  lay  down  his  life  :  but  he  corrects  this  feeling  in 
them,  and  seems  to  say.  If  I  am  about  to  die,  it  is 
that  you  may  live  a  life  of  justification,  and  sanctifi- 
cation,  and  glorification.  As  sure  as  I  am  your  Divine 
Head  of  influence,  so  surely  I  am  the  lifter  up  of  your 
heads. 

2ndly.  If  Christ  said,  "  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he 
shall  give  you  another  Comforter,"  then,  all  our  com- 
forts are  derived  from  our  union  with  Christ.  This 
union  is  not  spoken  of  incidentally  in  Scripture,  but  it 
is  made  prominent,  and  essential.     It  is  compared  to 


THE    DIVINE    COMFORTER    PROMISED.  383 

the  union  between  a  vine  and  its  branches.  Christ  is 
the  root,  and  we  derive  sap  and  nourishment  from  him. 
This  union  is  a  legitimate  source  of  joy  to  the  behever. 
"  These  things,"  says  Christ,  "  have  I  spoken  unto  you 
that  your  joy  may  be  full."  John  xv.  11.  Men  often 
make  laborious  and  expensive  attempts  to  obtain  a  little 
earthly  joy ;  but  I  need  not  say  what  disappointment 
follows  all  such  attempts  :  but  here,  as  from  a  fountain, 
you  may  obtain  certain,  constant,  overflowing,  and 
ever-flowing  joy.  It  is  *'  a  spring  of  water,  whose 
waters  fail  not."  If  this  is  our  appointed  rest,  the 
ground  upon  which  God  comforts  us,  let  not  Satan 
deceive  us  by  leading  us  to  look  to  any  other  ground. 
To  know  Christ  as  the  way  to  the  Father,  and  to  re- 
ceive the  gift  of  his  Spirit,  is  the  substance  of  the  Bible. 
Some  may  be  left  to  their  choice,  and  remain  orphans. 
What  a  mercy,  if  God  will  not  suffer  us  to  be  orphans, 
or  comfortless,  but  has  engaged  our  hearts  to  choose 
'  the  better  part !" 

/  3rdly.  May  not  every  Christian  say,  If  such  are  my 
privileges,  then  I  will  build  upon  this  Rock,  and  leave 
all  consequences  1  This  has  nothing  to  do  with  a  per- 
haps, or  peradventure  :  but  it  is,  that  "the  peace  of 
God  which  passeth  all  understanding  shall  keep  our 
hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus."  Really  be- 
holding Christ,  implies  fleeing  to  him  for  refuge — calling 
daily  upon  him — taking  his  counsel — trusting  his  word, 
and  growing  up  unto  him  in  all  things.  We  can  only 
hold  communion  with  Christ,  and  walk  with  him  by  a 
living  faith.  We  cannot  look  upon  mankind,  nor  at 
our  own  hearts,  without  seeing  and  feeling  their  total 
disorder  and  confusion.  But  when  men  presump- 
tuously scoffi  and  ask.  What  is  this  Spirit  ?  and  ''  Which 
way  went  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  from  me  to  speak  unto 
thee  ?"  1  Kings  xxii.  24  ;  we  are  not  careful  to  answer 


884  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

them,  much  less  are  we  dismayed  because  a  wickea 
world  will  scorn  and  scoff.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  stand 
upon  a  foundation  which  is  sure  and  steadfast,  and  that 
*' cannot  be  moved."  We  would  say  to  all,  "Choose 
ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve ;"  but  as  for  us,  we 
will  serve  the  Lord  our  God  :  we  will  build  on  no  other 
than  the  Rock  of  ages.  We  may  lose  our  property, 
our  friends,  our  beloved  ministers — nay,  even  our  lives. 
But  we  may  safely  give  up  all,  if  we  enjoy  the  grace 
and  favor  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  put  up 
this  prayer :  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter,  lead  me  and 
guide  me  !  that  walking  with  Jesus  now,  by  faith,  I 
may  be  with  him  where  he  is,  and  not  be  left  an 
orphan !  "  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words  : 
and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto 
him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him."  John  xiv.  23. 


THE  MISSION  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now. 
Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into 
all  truth.— John  xvi.  12,  13.  [1796,] 

Every  part  of  our  Lord's  farewell  discourse  to  his 
disciples  is  infinitely  important  to  all  that  would  know 
how  to  walk  *'  as  looking  not  at  the  things  that  are 
seen,  but  at  the  things  that  are  not  seen,  and  eternal." 
It  is  melancholy  to  consider  how  few  enter  into  the 
spirit  and  meaning  of  this  subject. 

If  we  compare  this  promise  of  our  Saviour  with  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
with  the  effects  which  followed,  we  shall  need  no  other 
commentary. 


THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST.  385 

Let  US  consider, 

I.  The  necessity    of  the  work    of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

II.  What  is  more  particularly  promised  in  the 
text  with  respect  to  the  Holy  Spirit's  mission. 

III.  What  is  observable  in  the  guidance  of  the 
Spirit. 

I.  The  necessity  of  his  work.  In  entering  upon 
this  subject,  we  may  remark,  that  what  men  commend 
greatly,  often  falls  far  short  of  their  account  of  it  in  the 
reality :  but  when  God  commends  any  thing  to  our 
notice,  we  may  rest  satisfied  that  it  is  important. 
The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  a  subject  of  special 
promise. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  spoken  of  merely  as  a  quality 
or  operation,  but  as  an  agent,  a  person  :  "  When  he, 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all 
truth."  He  was  sent  to  help  man  under  his  weak- 
ness ;  to  guide  him  in  his  blindness  and  ignorance  ;  to 
assist  his  heart  and  renew  it ;  to  influence  his  will ;  to 
quicken  him,  as  "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  Ex- 
perience proves  that  unless  there  be  such  a  special 
work  wrought  upon  the  mind,  people  will  hear  the 
Gospel  all  their  lives  in  vain.  There  is  a  necessity  for 
the  Spirit's  influence  to  render  the  work  of  Christ  ef- 
fectual. 

It  is  of  importance  to  mark  what  are  the  conse- 
quences of  living  without  these  influences.  Show  me 
a  Church,  a  family,  or  an  individual  that  slights  this 
doctrine,  and  I  will  show  you  them  dead,  totally  dead, 
as  to  any  real  godliness.  Any  man  who  looks  into  his 
Bible  may  see  that,  without  this  divine  influence,  the 
Ethiopian  can  as  soon  change  his  skin,  and  the  leopard 
his  spots,  as  those  who  are  in  the  habits  of  evil  can 

17 


386  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

learn  to  do  well.  I  do  not  say  that  a  man  may  not 
raise  a  sect ;  that  he  may  not  turn  from  one  form  of 
religion  to  another  :  I  am  speaking  of  a  very  different 
thing  ;  I  am  speaking  of  being  a  Christian, — 

"  A  Christian  is  the  highest  style  of  man." 

A  Christian  is  one  who  has  given  his  heart  to  God,  and 
who  glories  in  nothing  but  Christ." 

II.  Let  us  consider,  what   ts   more   particularly 

PROMISED  WITH  respect  TO  THE   HoLY  SpIRIt's  MISSION. 

'*  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth.'^ 

This  is  an  expression  used  to  imply  "the  whole 
counsel  of  God  ;'*  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  So  that 
when  a  poor  sinner  would  ask  the  way  to  heaven,  that 
which  fully  answers  to  this  question  may  well  be 
called,  •'  truth  ;'*  truth  as  distinguished  from  error  ;  "  all 
truth,"  not  a  part  only  ;  truth  in  its  proportion, — the 
whole  harmony  of  truth  ;  truth  in  all  its  integrity  ; 
truth  formed  into  a  medicine  :  for  truth  is  the  medicine 
of  the  mind  ;  it  is  God's  remedy  for  a  guilty  con- 
science, a  depraved  heart.  But  as,  in  regard  to  the 
body,  a  medicine  taken  in  part  only  might  injure  rather 
than  cure, — so  in  regard  to  truth,  if  a  man  takes  a  part 
only,  nothing  can  be  more  injurious.  It  is  no  wonder, 
then,  if  heresv  or  enthusiasm  be  introduced.  Jesus 
Christ  is  "  the  wav,  the  truth,  and  the  life."  This  is 
that  medicine  of  the  tree  of  life,  "  whose  leaves  were 
for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  It  is  the  office  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  make  a  saving  application  of  truth  to 
the  mind  ;  under  the  Spirit's  teaching  you  shall  know 
truth  experimentally  :  you  shall  be  savingly  acquainted 
with  its  virtue  and  efficacy.  The  knowledge  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  gives  is  always  vital  and  practical. 

"  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth :"  like  the  pillar 


THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST. 


387 


and  the  cloud,  which  was  not  only  a  shelter,  and  a  type 
of  Christ,  but  a  medium  of  communication.  See  Exo- 
dus xiv.  24.  So,  the  Spirit  of  truth  shall  lead  his  peo- 
ple by  the  word, — by  special  providences, — and  by  a 
peculiar  teaching,  or  breathing.  The  Apostle  declares, 
that  the  Old  Testament  had  nothing  but  what  was  ex- 
celled by  the  New.  "  When  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is 
come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth ;"  into  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel,  as  distinguished  from  worldly  elements  : 
"all  truth,"  in  opposition  to  the  practice  of  those  who 
pay  a  partial  regard  to  truth  :  who  would  divide  it, 
and  set  up  one  truth  against  another. 

III.  Let  us  inquire  what  theue  is  observable  in 
THE  Holy  Spirit's  guidance,— in  his  mission  to  a  lost 
world. 

His  operation  is  observable  not  only  in  providence, 
and  in  his  word  brought  home  to  our  ears— but,  by  his 
preparing  the  heart,  hy  his  makins;  the  ground  good 
upon  which  the  seed  is  to  he  cast:  hy  showing  the  sin- 
ner  that  he  needs  help.     He  teaches  men,  as  the  prodi- 
gal was  taught  who  would  leave  his  father's  house ; — 
his  springs  were  all  dried  up— his  props  were  all  cut 
away— he  was  made  to  feel  "  in  want :"  then  he  came 
to  himself,  and  said,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father." 
This  was   a  preparation  of  heart:   then,  he   saw  the 
suitableness  of  his  Father's  house.     So,  the  Holy  Spirit 
guides  to  the  means  of  grace— the  Sabbath,— the  sac- 
rament :   things  are  made  to  appear  interesting  which 
before  were  deemed  irksome.     It  is  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  give  a  spiritual  taste,  a  savor  and  relish 
for  the  things  of  Christ.     Till  a  person  has  this  taste, 
he  knows  very  little   of  the  power  of  religion.     The 
Spirit  leads  a  man  to  read  the  word  of  God  in  a  man- 
ner he  never  did    before :    he   may  have  studied  the 


388  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Scriptures  with  much  learning ;  but  unless  a  man  has 
an  enlightened  understanding,  so  as  to  be  able  to  make 
a  true  application  of  the  truth,  he  may  remain  blind 
and  ignorant  in  the  midst  of  light.  The  Holy  Spirit 
prepares  the  heart  to  receive  the  truth  concerning  a 
Saviour.  "  He  shall  glorify  me."  Verse  14.  He  will 
show  the  sinner  the  blind  and  miserable  state  of  his 
heart,  and  the  miserable  state  of  the  world, — lying  in 
the  wicked  one  :  and  he  will  show  the  work  of  the  Son 
of  God, — that  he  came  "  to  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil" — he  will  make  this  work  appear  glorious  in  the 
sinner's  eyes.  Till  a  man  has  his  eyes  thus  opened,  to 
see  Christ  as  a  Saviour  and  great  Physician,  he  gives 
no  proof  of  his  having  been  led  into  all  truth.  Suppose 
a  felon,  both  diseased  and  lying  in  chains ;  and  suppose 
a  pardon  to  be  proclaimed  to  him  ;  but  wiiat  is  he  to 
do  about  his  disease  ?  Tell  him,  he  may  enjoy  his 
liberty : — Enjoy  his  liberty !  what,  while  dying  under  a 
mortal  distemper  !  He  must  first  obtain  a  cure.  The 
sinner  is  both  a  captive,  and  also  sick  of  a  mortal  dis- 
ease ;  he  must  be  made  whole  of  the  disease  of  sin  ;  and 
he  must  have  the  blood  of  Christ  applied  to  his  con- 
science, that  he  may  receive  pardon  and  justification 
in  the  sight  of  God :  he  needs  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  to 
give  a  new  direction  to  his  will  and  affections.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  to  soften  the  heart ;  to  make  a  powerful 
application  of  truth  ;  to  elevate  the  heart  to  grasp  at  the 
things  promised  ;  confirming  the  mind  ;  strengthening, 
sanctifying,  and  comforting,  till  the  man  shall  be  ena- 
bled to  say  with  the  spouse,  "  I  sat  down  under  his 
shadow  with  great  delight."  And,  therefore,  it  is  the 
whole  truth  concerning  salvation,  which  a  sinner  wants. 
I  apprehend  that  most  of  us  have  observed  the  havoc 
which  has  been  made  in  the  Church,  by  taking  up  a 
part  of  the  truth  only. 


THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST.  389 

In  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  is  to  be  ob- 
served, that  he  guides  variously.  Sometimes,  by  "  a 
still  small  voice,"  saying  in  the  conscience,  "Why  will 
ye  die?"  Look  unto  the  cross,  and  behold  salvation! 
Thus  the  Lord  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia,  to  attend 
unto  the  things  spoken  by  Paul.  Sometimes,  he  will 
alarm  with  the  thunders  of  Mount  Sinai ;  crying  in  a 
man's  ears, — "  Flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  !" 

The  Spirit  teaches  gradually :  "  I  have  yet  many 
things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them 
now."  What  was  there  in  Christianity,  that  Christ 
had  not  taught  his  disciples?  Nothing  essential :  but 
there  were  some  additional  truths  not  revealed  by  him  ; 
such  as  the  state  of  the  Christian  Church  as  to  the 
spread  it  was  likely  to  make ;  the  opposition  and  suf- 
ferings which  his  disciples  would  be  likely  to  meet  with  ; 
the  rejection  of  the  Jews,  the  destruction  of  their  state 
and  polity ;  and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles,  which  was 
a  truth  very  offensive  to  the  Jews.  These,  no  doubt, 
were  among  the  "many  things"  which  they  could  not 
bear,  owing  to  the  remaining  weakness  of  their  faith, 
the  carnality  of  their  views,  and  their  Jewish  prej- 
udices.    They  were  looking  for  a  temporal  kingdom. 

In  order  to  distinguish  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  from  the  enthusiastic  operation  of  our  own 
minds,  we  may  remark  further,  that  in  guiding  his  peo- 
ple into  the  whole  truth,  the  Spirit  leads  scripticrally. 
"I  have  had  a  dream,"  says  one.  No  matter;  it  is  not 
worth  hearing.  "  I  have  had  a  revelation,"  says  an- 
other. How  do  you  know  this  ?  It  may  be  a  mere 
delusion.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I  am  led  scripturally, 
— if  I  am  led  to  rely  more  on  the  word  of  God,  and 
less  on  the  word  of  man, — if  I  am  enabled  to  see  the 
vileness  of  sin,  and  am  thereby  led  to  exalt  Christ; 
— then,  let  men  call  me  an  enthusiast,  if  they  like, — 


390  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

the  point  is  not  what  men  think,  but  what  I  am  in  the 
sight  of  God.  It  is  enough  for  me  that  he  has  prom- 
ised, if  I  follow  him,  that  one  day  I  shall  lift  up  my 
head  with  joy. 

Again,  observe  in  the  Holy  Spirit's  guidance,  he 
leads  effectually.  If  the  truth  sown  in  your  hearts  be 
but  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, — how  small  soever, — 
it  shall  be  defended,  watered  ;  and  though  perhaps,  like 
St.  Paul,  a  man  may  have  been  at  first  a  persecutor, 
yet,  like  him,  afterwards  he  shall  be  found  praying  for 
others.  And,  says  the  apostle,  you  shall  know  what  is 
my  way  of  proceeding, — it  is,  "  striving  according  to 
his  working,  which  worketh  in  me  mightily."  Col. 
i.  29. 

Two  general  propositions  may  be  deduced  from  the 
text. 

1.  There  are  many  things  connected  with  true 

RELIGION  which  MANY  REAL  CHRISTIANS  CANNOT  BEAR 
TO  HEAR  IN  A  CERTAIN  STAGE   OF  THEIR  PROFESSION. 

I  am  not  here  speaking  of  carnal  apprehensions — of 
the  gross  prejudices  of  a  v/orldly  mind,  or  of  those  who 
altogether  reject  Christianity,  but,  of  real  Christians. 
*'  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,"  my  dis- 
ciples, "  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now."  There  are 
many  things  which  true  Christians  cannot  bear  in  a 
certain  stage  of  their  experience.  For  instance,  if  I 
go  and  preach  to  a  congregation  who  had  scarcely 
been  taught  the  first  rudiments  of  the  Gospel,  and  in- 
stead of  preaching  upon  the  first  elements — the  general 
truths  of  the  Gospel — I  should  preach  only  the  peculiar 
truths,  then  I  transgress  our  Lord's  rule.  Many  who 
are  really  gracious  in  heart,  are  ignorant  of  the  nature 
of  the  change — that  it  is  the  bringing  of  a  captive  into 


THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST.  391 

liberty,  implanting  a  holy  and  heavenly  taste.     We  are 
here  taught  not  to  despise  the  day  of  small  things. 

If  you  ask,  Why  cannot  such  persons  bear  the  whole 
truth  at  once?  I  answer,  Sometimes  it  is,  that  they 
give  way  to  carnal  reasonings  :  they  want  to  know  the 
reason  of  things  which  cannot  be  explained.  Some- 
times it  is  from  the  love  of  ease  and  reputation,  which 
forms  a  great  barrier  to  takins;  in  the  whole  counsel  of 
God.  "  Suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father."  No 
man  likes  to  be  torn  up  by  the  roots.  There  are  not 
many  who  can  say,  like  St.  Paul,  "  One  thing  I  do."  It 
is  a  miracle  of  grace  where  a  man  can  at  once  enter 
into  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity.  Our  Lord  told  his 
disciples,  plainly,  that  he  should  be  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  men  :  "  but  they  understood  not  this  saying, 
and  they  feared  to  ask  him  ;"  because  they  had  a  false 
association,  a  corrupt  taste,  and  desired  a  temporal 
kingdom.  So,  when  Jesus  began  to  show  unto  his  dis- 
ciples "  how  that  he  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer 
many  things,"  "  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke 
him,  saying,  Be  it  far  from  thee.  Lord :  this  shall  not 
be  unto  thee."  Yet,  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  how 
did  he  and  all  the  disciples  understand  and  enter  into 
the  whole  design  of  Christ's  crucifixion  !  So,  after  St. 
Paul  had  planted  the  church  of  Corinth,  he  saw  their 
minds  carried  away  by  the  strange  notions  of  men,  and 
unable  to  bear  the  whole  truth.  He  remonstrates, 
"  Are  ye  not  carnal,  and  walk  as  men  ?  I  could  not 
speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiritual  but  as  unto  carnal, 
even  as  unto  babes  in  Christ.  One  saith,  I  am  of  Paul, 
and  another,  I  am  of  Apollos."  No  man  till  he  is 
taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit  can  say,  "What  things  were 
gain  to  me  I  counted  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord."  It  is  the  office 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  turn  us  from  an  admiration  of 


392  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

eloquence,  worldly  splendor,  and  earthly  greatness,  to 
the  simplicity  of  Christ,  and  the  power  of  his  Cross ; 
which  leads  me  to  the  second  proposition,  namely, 
that — 

2.  It  is  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  remove 

THOSE  PREJUDICES  WHICH  PREVENT  PERSONS  FROM  BEAR- 
ING THE  WHOLE  TRUTH  AT  ONCE  ;  AND  AFTERWARDS  TO 
BRING  THE  WHOLE  TRUTH    WITH  POWER  TO  THEIR  MINDS. 

*'  Howbeit,  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  comey  he  will 
guide  you  into  all  truths 

To  be  led  into  the  truth,  is  more  than  barely  to 
know  the  truth.  St.  Augustine  tells  us,  that  when  his 
mother  labored  day  and  night  to  bring  her  son  over  to 
the  truth  from  the  errors  he  had  imbibed,  it  had  this 
effect  upon  his  mind,  that  though  he  could  not  break 
the  chains  and  fetters  of  his  sins,  yet  he  was  convinced 
she  was  right,  and  therefore  he  prayed,  ''  O  Lord,  make 
me  a  good  man,  but  not  now."  To  be  led  into  the 
truth  is  to  be  led  into  the  love  of  it :  to  have  a  spiritual 
taste ;  *'  If  so  be  ye  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gra- 
cious :"  it  is  to  know  it  in  its  power  ;  to  be  assured  of 
it ;  so  that  a  man  shall  be  able  to  say,  when  objections 
are  brought  by  unbelievers — "  God  has  spoken,  and 
that  is  enough."  It  is  to  walk  in  the  path  of  the  just, 
"  which  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.'* 
Some  may  ask,  Why,  since  the  promise  is  so  positive, 
are  so  few  led  into  the  truth  ?  One  reason  is,  that  they 
have  not  because  they  ask  not.  We  must  secure  this 
benefit  by  fervent  prayer.  "  If  a  son  ask  bread  of  any 
of  you  that  is  a  father,  will  he  give  him  a  stone  ?  .  .  .  . 
If  ye,  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts 
unto  your  children  ;  how  much  more  shall  your  heav- 
enly Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him !"     We  must  ask  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  as  those 


THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST.  393 

who  have  no  more  power  to  act  without  the  Holy 
Spirit's  help,  than  the  prophet  had  over  the  dry  bones 
to  give  them  life.  It  must  be  the  Divine  breath. 
Christians  feel  much  pain  in  seeing  friends  so  little 
affected  with  truth.  But  Paul  may  plant,  and  Apollos 
water ;  it  is  God  alone  who  can  give  the  increase. 
This  Spirit  alone  can  open  the  heart  of  Lydia,  and  the 
heart  of  the  jailer.  But  we  are  not  laboring  in  vain, 
though  God  alone  can  work  effectually.  He  often 
moves  men  by  rational  considerations :  as,  "  What  a 
fool  and  a  madman  am  I  while  despising  God  and  his 
ministers  !"  Thus  discovering  truth  by  means  of  the 
preached  word,  he  embraces  it,  and  acknowledges  it 
before  men  ;  he  cries  to  his  former  companions, 
"  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve ;  but  as  for 
me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord." 

I  would  add  a  few  reflections  upon  this  subject :  and 
1st.  A  word  of  caution  to  teachers,  parents,  and 
guardians.  Truth  should  be  proposed  according  to 
the  capacity  of  the  hearer.  Learn  of  Christ  in  this 
text :  "  He  shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and 
carry  them  in  his  bosom,  and  shall  gently  lead  those 
that  are  with  vouns;."  Truth  mav  be  enforced  so  as 
to  blind  and  perplex  the  pupil.  See  how  our  Lord 
taught  the  woman  of  Samaria  ;  John  iv.  St.  Paul  also 
sets  us  a  pattern  :  "  I  have  fed  you  with  milk,  and  not 
with  meat:  for  hitherto  you  were  not  able  to  bear  it, 
neither  yet  now  are  ye  able ;"  1  Cor.  iii.  2.  The  Spirit 
shall  guide  you  into  all  truth :  /.  c.  patiently,  tenderly, 
gradually,  but  efTectually. 

2ndly .  /  would  give  a  hint  to  such  as  are  learning,  es- 
pecially to  the  young.  Though  there  is  needed  more 
than  your  teacher  to  teach  you,  yet  this  is  your  appoint- 
ed means  of  instruction,  and  you  must  not  lean  to  your 
own  understanding,  or  despise   your  teacher,  or  you 

17* 


394  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

will  discourage  him.  Take  care  that  you  have  not 
the  prejudices  that  I  have  been  speaking  of.  Read  the 
account  of  Philip  and  the  eunuch,  and  mark  the  docil- 
ity with  which  he  received  the  lesson  given  him. 

3rdly.  The  subject  affords  encouragement  to  all  who 
desire  truth  and  knowledge.  The  same  Holy  Spirit 
is  promised  to  the  Church  in  all  ages.  In  the  Old 
Testament  David  prays,  "  Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit 
from  me."  And  what  was  necessary  to  David  is  ne- 
cessary to  every  believer  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
Persons  seem  not  practically  to  adopt  this  truth,  that 
"if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none 
of  his."  Did  not  our  Lord  himself  teach?  And  yet, 
after  all,  how  little  was  his  doctrine  understood !  His 
disciples  ask,  "  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  the 
kingdom  to  Israel  ?"  i.  e.  the  kingdom  they  were  think- 
ing of  But  "  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come,  he 
will  guide  you  into  all  truth." 

4thly.  Take  heed  of  curiosity.  This  is  opposed  to 
our  giving  God  credit  for  what  he  says.  If  curiosity 
would  ask  with  Nicodemus,  "  How  can  these  things 
be  ?"  how  is  it  that  the  Spirit  acts  upon  our  minds  ? 
the  answer  is,  "  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and 
thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell 
whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth  :  so  is  every 
one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit ;"  John  iii.  8.  Here  is  a 
mighty  agent,  producing  a  mighty  effect :  and  we  have 
only  to  believe  and  to  adore, — not  to  reason.  "How 
much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  it  !" — is  all  we  want. 

5thly.  Would  you  gain  the  promised  benefit  ?  Hon- 
or the  means  of  grace.  Come  to  them  not  only  by 
prayer,  saying,  "  Oh,  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth : 
let  them  lead  me ;  let  them  bring  me  unto  thy  holy 
hill,  and  to  thy  tabernacles :"  but  be  diligent  also  in 


THE    MISSION    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST.  895 

searching  the  Scriptures,  and  walk  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  all  the  day  long. 

6thly.  How  great  is  the  depravity  of  those  who  re- 
fuse such  a  Teacher  !  "  O  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long 
will  ye  turn  my  glory  into  shame  ?  How  long  will  ye 
love  vanity,  and  seek  after  leasing  ?"  One  of  the  char- 
acters of  this  kind  came  to  these  church  doors  when 
they  were  repairing,  and  said  to  me,  "  You  know  that 
religion  is  all  a  farce !"  He  afterwards  sent  for  me, 
being  on  a  sick-bed,  with  a  mortification  in  his  mouth ; 
and,  in  the  utmost  anguish,  he  spoke  to  me  by  his 
countenance,  though  he  could  not  with  his  mouth,  and 
said  that  religion  was  no  farce  !  Know,  therefore,  O 
ye  sons  of  men,  the  value  of  true  godliness.  To  those 
who  despise,  God  says,  "  I  also  will  laugh  at  your  ca- 
lamity :  I  will  mock  when  your  fear  cometh."  Prov. 
i.  26. 

Finally,  let  us  all  he  willing  pupils  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  sit  at  the  feet  of  this  great  Teacher.  Let  us  cleave 
with  simplicity  to  our  gracious  Friend  and  Helper.  In 
so  doing,  we  shall  have  nothing  to  fear.  Let  us  en- 
deavor to  submit  to  our  dispensation,  though  it  may 
be  a  humbling  one.  Wherever  the  Holy  Spirit  leads, 
we  may  safely  follow.  "  Thou  shalt  remember  all  the 
way  which  the  Lord  thy  God  led  thee  these  forty  years 
in  the  wilderness,  to  humble  thee  and  to  prove  thee,  to 
know  what  was  in  thine  heart."  If  the  way,  and  the 
means  he  makes  use  of,  suit  not  with  our  carnal  taste, 
yet  if  they  produce  the  designed  end,  if  they  produce 
the  right  fruit,  let  us  be  thankful,  and  bless  God  for  it. 
Let  us  come,  as  poor  benighted  sinners,  to  the  light  of 
life. 


396  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

For  by  one  Spirit  we  are  all  baptized  into  one  body,  whether  we  be' 
Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be  bond  or  free ;  and  have  been  all 
made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit. — 1  Cor.  xii.  13.  [1806.] 

The  Church  of  God  is  in  the  Scripture  compared  to 
a  garden,  in  which  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel  are  rep- 
resented as  the  laborers,  and  the  success  of  their  labors 
as  depending  entirely  on  Divine  influences.  The  Holy 
Ghost  breathing  upon  the  garden  of  the  Church  pro- 
motes its  growth.  Sol.  Song,  iv.  16.  Whether  it  be 
the  union  of  the  Church,  or  its  growth  and  prosperity, 
the  apostle  directs  our  attention  to  the  same  Spirit,  as 
the  true  source  of  the  blessing :  "  I  have  planted,  Apol- 
los  watered ;  but  God  gave  the  increase.  So  then, 
neither  is  he  that  planteth  any  thing,  neither  he  that 
watereth ;  but  God  that  giveth  the  increase."  1  Cor. 
iii.  6,  7. 

The  apostle  shows,  in  the  verses  preceding  the  text, 
that  while  the  Holy  Ghost  divides  Spiritual  gifts  sev- 
erally as  he  will,  by  his  own  power,  and  according  to 
his  own  pleasure,  3^et  that  they  are  distributed,  not  for 
private  honor  and  advantage,  but  for  the  edification  of 
the  body,  the  Church.  Christ  and  his  Church  make  but 
one  body,  as  Head  and  members.  All  the  members 
are  baptized  into  the  same  body,  and  are  made  to  drink 
into  the  same  Spirit.  The  outward  right  is  of  Divine 
institution,  significant  of  the  new  birth,  and  called 
therefore  "  the  washing  of  regeneration,"  Titus  iii.  5 ; 
but  it  is  by  the  Spirit,  by  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  we  are  made  members  of  Christ's  body. 
All  who  have  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  whetlier  Jew  or 


BAPTISM    or    THE    SPIRIT.  397 

Gentile,  bond  or  free,  are  the  members  of  Christ,  and 
none  else.     I  shall  consider, 

I.  The  uNioiv  of  the  true  Church. 
II.  The  important  inferences  which  we  may  draw 

FROM  the  subject 

I.  The  union  of  the  true  Church.  Prior  to  any 
distinctions  in  it,  the  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Chm'ch 
had  always  a  union  of  privilege,  and  a  union  of  heart. 
They  are  united  in  knowledge,  and  they  are  not  less 
united  in  heart ;  and  this  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
They  have  a  union  of  privilege.  St.  Paul  says, 
*'  Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye  should  be  ig- 
norant, how  that  all  our  fathers  were  under  the  cloud, 
and  all  passed  through  the  sea ;  and  were  all  baptized 
unto  Moses  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea ;  and  did  all 
eat  the  same  spiritual  meat;  and  did  all  drink  the 
same  spiritual  drink :  for  they  drank  of  that  Spiritual 
Rock  that  followed  them:  and  that  Rock  was  Christ." 
1  Cor.  X.  1 — 4.  We  are  not  now  to  look  for  signs  and 
wonders,  but  the  Spirit's  influences  in  the  heart  of 
every  believer.  All  real  Christians  unite  in  belief 
of  the  Divinity  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  he  is  one  of  the 
persons  of  the  Triune  Jehovah  :  they  also  unite  in  belief 
of  the  work  of  the  Spirit ;  namely,  his  illuminating,  re- 
generating, and  sanctifying  influences  ;  his  succoring 
and  consoling  operations.  But  it  is  not  a  mere  belief 
of  these  things,  as  important  articles  of  the  Christian 
faith,  which  constitutes  the  privilege  of  true  believers ; 
it  is  the  Spirit's  special  influences  on  the  heart.  There- 
fore, I  would  say,  they  have  a  union  of  privilege, 

1st.  From  a  common  impression  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
upon  their  hearts.  "  In  whom  ye  also  trusted,  after 
that  ye  heard  the  word  of  truth,  the  Gospel  of  your  sal- 
vation :  in  whom  also,  after  that  ye  believed,  ye  were 


398  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which  is  the 
earnest  of  our  inheritance  until  the  redemption  of  the 
purchased  possession,  unto  the  praise  of  his  glory." 
Eph.  i.  13,  14.  The  heart  being  softened,  receives  the 
holy  impression  :  as  the  wax,  when  warm,  receives  the 
impression  of  a  seal ;  and  retains  it  afterwards.  What 
a  poor  creature,  then,  is  a  merely  orthodox  Christian ! 

2ndly.  Christians  have  a  union  of  privilege  by  the 
inhabitation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  their  hearts.  "  I 
will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever  ;  even 
the  Spirit  of  truth  ;  whom  the  world  cannot  receive, 
because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him  :  but  ve 
know  him ;  for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in 
you."  John  xiv.  16,  17.  *'  In  whom  ye  also  are  build- 
ed  together  for  an  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit." 
Eph.  ii.  22.  This  is  the  common  privilege  into  which 
the  Church  is  baptized :  for  this  Christ  prayed,  John 
xvii.  17.  Into  this  privilege  the  eunuch  entered  when 
he  had  been  instructed  by  Philip.  "  The  eunuch  said, 
See,  here  is  water ;  what  doth  hinder  me  to  be  bap- 
tized ?  And  Philip  said.  If  thoubelievest  with  all  thine 
heart,  thou  ma^^est."  Acts  viii.  36,  37.  Philip  might 
be  ready  to  ask,  "  Can  these  dry  bones  live  ?"  How 
was  it  that  this  man  received  the  truth  with  such  af- 
fection ?  It  was,  because  they  were  both  made  to  drink 
into  one  Spirit. 

But,  moreover,  the  union  of  the  true  Church  is  a 
union  of  heart.  This  also  is  the  free  gift  of  God,  that 
they  are  thus  "made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit."  The 
Church  is  composed  of  a  body  of  true  believers,  and 
not  connected  with  any  particular  sect.  They  are  unit- 
ed in  heart ;  they  have  the  same  tastes,  affections,  and 
dispositions.  Yet  the  apostle  blames  them  for  the  dis- 
sensions which  took  place  among  them.  .  "  Now  this  I 


BAPTISM    OF    THE    SPIRIT.  399 

say,  that  every  one  of  you  saith,  I  am  of  Paul ;  and  I 
of  Apollos  ;  and  I  of  Cephas ;  and  I  of  Christ." — "  For 
whereas  there  is  among  you  envying,  and  strife,  and 
divisions,  are  ye  not  carnal,  and  walk  as  men  ?"  Such 
will  be  the  case  while  the  Enemy  is  permitted  to  sow 
tares  among  the  wheat ;  and  while  there  is  much  weak- 
ness and  prejudice.  But  still,  notwithstanding  all  this, 
read  the  text.  There  must  be  real  union  of  heart  in 
all  true  believers :  "  For  by  one  Spirit  we  are  all  bap- 
tized into  one  body,  whether  we  be  bond  or  free ;  and 
have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit."  Thus, 
at  the  Lord's  table  we  all  partake  of  one  cup.  "  The 
cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  communion 
of  the  blood  of  Christ  ?  The  bread  which  we  break, 
is  it  not  the  communion  of  the  body  of  Christ  ?  For 
we  being  many  are  one  bread,  and  one  body :  for  we 
are  all  partakers  of  that  one  bread."  This  is  a  picture 
of  the  union  which  the  children  of  God  have  with  one 
another.  See  an  instance  of  this  union.  Behold  Saul 
exceedingly  mad  against  the  saints,  persecuting  them 
"  even  to  strange  cities  :"  and  behold  the  jailer  of 
Philippi,  thrusting  the  apostles  into  the  inner  prison, 
after  making  their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks ! — But,  St. 
Paul  is  preaching  Christ  to  the  jailer :  and  presently 
the  jailer  is  bringing  the  apostles  into  his  house  and 
setting  meat  before  them,  rejoicing,  and  believing  in 
God  with  all  his  house  !  Thus  fulfilling  that  prophecy, 
"  The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the 
leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid !"  This  was,  be- 
cause they  were  both  made  *'  to  drink  into  the  same 
Spirit."     Let  us  consider, 

II.    The  IMPORTANT  INFERENCES  WHICH  WE  MAY  DRAW 
FROM  THIS  SUBJECT. 

1st.  If  the  Spiritual  Church  he  distinguished  by  a 


400  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

union  of  privilege  and  a  union  of  heart,  it  becomes  us 
to  examine  ourselves  by  this  criterion.  Do  I  desire  to 
know  and  feel  this  privilege,  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  ? 
Do  I  seek  to  enter  into  that  glorious  "  assembly  and 
Church  of  the  first-born  which  are  written  in  heaven  ?" 
Have  I  this  union  of  heart  with  true  Christians  1 
Coincidence  of  ideas,  or  union  of  heart,  is  of  so  re- 
markable a  nature,  that  if  two  persons  of  different 
nations  should  meet  in  a  country  foreign  to  both,  this 
union  of  heart  and  sentiment  would  soon  discover 
itself.  Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  and  David,  were 
they  all  to  appear  again  in  the  world  together,  they 
would  be  found  united  in  heart,  not  onlv  with  one 
another,  but  with  all  real  Christians.  For  all  true  be- 
lievers have  been  made  to  drink  into  the  same  Spirit. 

2ndly.  We  may  infer  from  what  has  been  said,  that 
if  we  have  not  drunk  into  the  Spirit,  we  are  not  true 
inemhers  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  strong  man 
armed  still  keepeth  his  palace,  and  his  goods  are  in 
peace.  The  apostle  says,  in  the  eighth  chapter  to  the 
Romans,  '•  If  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he 
is  none  of  his."  "  Because  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity 
against  God  :  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God ; 
neither  indeed  can  be."  Therefore  by  this  we  may 
discover  our  state  and  character.  The  Spirit  dwelling 
in  us  must  be  the  evidence  of  our  having  drunk  into 
the  Spirit :  for  it  is  mutual.  **  He  that  dwelleth  in  love 
dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him."  1  John  iv.  16. 

3rdly.  If  members  of  the  true  Church  feel  a  union 
of  heart  as  well  as  of  privilege,  bless  God  if  any  of  you 
have  begun  to  enter  into  this  bond  of  union ;  and  be 
encouraged  if  the  fire  of  divine  grace  is  beginning  to 
kindle  in  your  hearts,  even  though  you  may  not  have 
gifts.  For  "if  children," — here  is  the  great  turning 
point ! — **  if  children,  then  heirs  :  heirs  of  God,  and  joint 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES.  401 

heirs  with  Christ."  "  Behold  what  manner  of  love 
the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God  :"  though  the  world  knoweth  us 
not,  because  it  knew  him  not ;  yet  angels  will  rejoice 
over  us,  and  good  men  will  rejoice  over  us  to  do  us 
good. 

4thly.  Cultivate  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  Drink  into 
it  more  and  more.  Let  me  again  remind  you  of  '•'  the 
cup  of  blessing"  to  be  put  into  your  hand  at  the  table 
of  the  Lord  to-day :  "  Is  it  not  the  communion  of  the 
blood  of  Christ  ?"  whereby  you  may  partake  of  those 
privileges,  and  profess  yourselves  under  those  obliga- 
tions, which  result  from  the  death  and  sacrifice  of 
Christ.  God  has  appointed  certain  ordinances  in  order 
to  maintaining  the  life  of  our  souls  :  but  without  the 
grace  of  God  we  can  do  nothing  acceptably.  Let  us 
therefore  implore  a  Divine  influence,  in  order  to  our 
performing  a  spiritual  act,  as  well  as  an  act  of  obe- 
dience to  our  Master's  express  command. 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  If  thy  presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up 
hence.  For  wherein  shall  it  be  known  here  that  I  and  thy  people 
have  found  grace  in  thy  sight  1  is  it  not  in  that  thou  goest  with  us  1 
so  shall  we  be  separated,  I  and  thy  people,  from  all  the  people  that 
are  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. — Exod.  xxxiii.  15,  IG.  [1803.] 

It  is  most  natural,  and  rational,  that  a  poor  creature 
like  man,  whose  time  is  hasting  away  like  a  shadow, 
should  mark  the  periods  of  his  life  ;  that  he  should  say, 
Another  year  is  gone  !  and  what  has  been  its  history  ? 
— It  is  most  natural  and  rational  that  he  should  reflect 


402  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

on  past  mercies,  temporal  and  spiritual,  and  the  many 
providential  escapes,  with  the  means  of  grace  afforded. 
It  is  natural,  and  rational,  that  he  should  look  forward, 
in  anew  year,  to  the  same  God  who  has  hitherto  helped, 
in  hope  and  reliance.  And  surely  we  cannot  remeni- 
ber,  without  humiliation,  the  poor  improvement  we 
have  made  of  past  mercies  ;  the  evils  within  ;  the  cast- 
ing down  in  ourselves,  and  the  help  that  has  been 
graciously  bestowed.  What  cause  for  both  humiliation 
and  gratitude  is  here !  It  is  useful  also  to  mark  the 
periods  of  our  life,  in  order  that  we  may  make  use  of 
them  as  stimulants  to  set  forward  with  fresh  resolutions, 
for  the  future.  For  there  is  no  man  who  has  not  felt, 
if  he  has  endeavored  to  call  up  his  mind  to  a  sense  of 
duty,  that  he  must  repeat  his  endeavor  day  after  day. 
And  if  he  has  gained  any  ground,  it  is  natural  that  he 
should  come  forth  pleading  what  he  has  received,  as  a 
pledge  of  future  favors.  In  entering  upon  a  new  year, 
he  will  be  ready  to  say  with  Moses,  "  If  thy  presence 
go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up  hence." 

The  patience  of  Moses  had  been  almost  worn  out  by 
the  refractory  conduct  of  the  people,  and  their  idola- 
try:  on  account  of  which  God  had  said  to  Moses,  *'  De- 
part, and  go  up  hence,  thou  and  the  people  which  thou 
hast  brought  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  ....  for  I 
will  not  go  up  in  the  midst  of  thee ;  for  thou  art  a  stiff- 
necked  people :  lest  I  consume  thee  in  the  way."  It 
was  on  this  occasion  that  the  words  of  the  text  were 
spoken.     I  shall  consider, 

I.  The  particular  object  of  this  petition. 
II.   The  indispensable   necessity  for  urging  this 

REQUEST. 

I.  The  object  of  the  petition.     By  the  presence 
of  God  we  are  to  understand  his  favor,  his  patronage, 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES.  403 

the  liffht  of  his  countenance.  Moses  desh'ed  to  have 
such  a  visible  sign  that  the  Lord  was  with  these  peo- 
ple, that  it  might  be  seen  that  the  shout  of  a  king  was 
among  them.  Moses  had  experienced  much  of  this  in 
Egypt :  he  had  proved  that  the  Lord  was  with  them 
when  he  divided  the  sea,  and  in  all  the  wonders  wrought 
before  Pharaoh.  Lab?tn,  in  like  manner,  saw  that  God 
was  with  Jacob.  The  visible  tokens  of  God's  presence 
were  displayed  at  Jericho :  and  in  the  case  of  Senna- 
cherib, God  had  only  to  send  his  angel,  and  "a  hundred 
and  four  score  and  five  thousand  of  the  Assyrians  were 
all  dead  corpses  !"  In  all  these  cases  there  was  a  token 
of  divine  patronage  afforded ;  giving  them  victory ; 
pointing  out  their  way.  So,,  he  guided  them  by  a  pil- 
lar of  cloud  and  of  fire ;  gave  them  water  out  of  the 
rock  ;  sent  them  down  manna  from  heaven.  All  this 
was  a  sign  of  his  presence.  So  Moses,  in  the  text, 
says — If  God  will  not  thus  go  before  us,  suffer  us  not  to 
go  up  hence. 

And  was  it  remarkable  that  this  should  strike  the 
minds  of  the  Israelites,  when  Balaam,  a  false  prophet, 
could  exclaim,  "  The  Lord  their  God  is  with  him,  and 
the  shout  of  a  king  is  among  them  :"  therefore  I  can  do 
nothing  ?  "  How  shall  I  curse,  whom  God  hath  not 
cursed  ?  or  how  shall  I  defy,  whom  the  Lord  hath  not 
defied  ?" 

You  see,  therefore,  brethren,  that  when  Moses  pleaded 
for  the  presence  of  God,  it  was  nothing  more  than  the 
act  of  a  good  man  w^ho  is  not  satisfied  with  general 
favors,  but  seeks  for  particular  help  in  a  particular  case. 
So  Jacob,  when  about  to  meet  his  brother  Esau,  how 
did  he  plead  God's  former  mercies  !  "  O  God  of  my 
father  Abraham,  and  God  of  my  father  Isaac,  the  Lord 
which  saidst  unto  me,  Return  unto  thy  country,  and  to 
thy  kindred,  and  I  will  deal  well  with  thee :  I  am  not 


404  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

worthy  of  the  least  of  all  thy  mercies,  and  of  all  the 
truth  which  thou  hast  shewed  unto  thy  servant ;  for 
with  my  staff  I  passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am 
become  two  bands.  Deliver  me,  I  pray  thee,  from  the 
hand  of  my  brother,  from  the  hand  of  Esau."  Our 
best  prayers  are  formed  upon  God's  promises.  We  are 
very  dependant  creatures,  and  hang  upon  the  Lord  not 
only  for  the  peace  of  the  present  moment,  but  for  the 
next,  and  the  next.  The  Lord  knows  our  need  :  and 
"  As  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth 
them  that  fear  him."  We  are  warranted  to  look  to  the 
Lord,  and  depend  upon  him,  in  time  of  special  trial. 
Let  us  now  consider, 

IL  The  indespensable  necessity  for  God's  pres- 
ence WITH  us. 

Why  was  Moses  so  urgent  upon  this  point  ? — I  ap- 
prehend that  this  was,  1st,  The  result  of  knowledge ;  as 
much  us  if  he  had  said,  with  the  Psalmist,  "Power  be- 
longeth  unto  God."  The  rashness  of  fools  destroys 
them  in  this  case :  they  think  they  can  do  without  it. 
Pharaoh  said,  "  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will 
divide  the  spoil ;  my  hand  shall  be  satisfied  with  them ; 
I  will  draw  my  sword,  my  hand  shall  destroy  them. 
Thou  didst  blow  with  thy  wind,  the  sea  covered  them  : 
they  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters."  A  man  that 
is  taught  of  God,  knows  that  nothing  will  stand  him  in 
the  stead  of  God's  favorable  presence  in  an  undertak- 
ing. Tell  him  that  the  king  is  for  him,  or  the  minister 
— that  he  has  the  popular  favor,  but  God  is  not  for 
him  : — Oh,  then,  says  he.  It  will  not  do  !  my  projects 
will  be  blasted  !  "  Some  trust  in  chariots,  and  some 
in  horses :  but  we  will  remember  the  name  of  the  Lord 
our  God."   Psalm  xx.  7. 

Moses  had  a  prospect  of  a  vast  and  arduous  under- 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES.  405 

taking :  he  was  to  conduct  a  people  that  had  already 
fallen  into  idolatry,  and  who  upon  every  occasion  were 
prone  to  rebellion.  He  knew  that  he  had  mighty  ene- 
mies to  encounter :  he  knew  his  own  weakness  :  but, 
says  he,  "  Wherein  shall  it  be  known  here  that  I  and 
thy  people  have  found  grace  in  thy  sight  ?  Is  it  not 
that  thou  goest  with  us  ?  so  shall  we  be  separated,  I 
and  thy  people,  from  all  the  people  that  are  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth."  q.  d.  If  God  be  with  me,  I  can 
undertake  any  thing ; — I  can  go  forward  anywhere ; 
— I  can  cast  my  weak,  feeble,  disordered  cogitations 
entirely  upon  him :  I  can  be  hid  in  the  hollow  of  his 
hand :  but,  "  if  thy  presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  us 
not  up  hence." 

2ndly.  Moses  no  doubt  urged  this  request  from  his 
sense  of  the  danger  of  error.  This  creeps  even  into 
the  Church  ;  there  are  woful  errors  even  here ;  the 
Church  is  not  perfect  yet.  See  the  men  of  Ai,  chasing 
the  Israelites,  because  there  was  among  them  an  ac- 
cursed thing.  Josh.  vii. — The  poor  distressed  Israelites, 
when  smitten  before  the  Philistines,  said,  "  Let  us  fetch 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  of  the  Lord  out  of  Shiloh  unto 
us,  that,  when  it  cometh  among  us,  it  may  save  us  out 
of  the  hand  of  our  enemies."  They  thought  the  mere 
symbol  of  God's  presence  enough,  and  therefore  they 
sent  for  the  Ark,  1  Sam.  iv.  3 ;  but  yet  "  Israel  was 
smitten,  and  they  fled  every  man  into  his  tent ;  and 
there  was  a  very  great  slaughter :  and  the  Ark  of  God 
was  taken ;  and  the  two  sons  of  Eli,  Hophni  and  Phi- 
nehas,  were  slain." 

Too  many  in  this  day,  make  the  same  mistake  ;  they 
say,  We  have  still  all  the  forms  and  signs  :  we  have 
Baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  But  the  question  is, 
Is  Christ  in  you  ?  To  live  without  religion  is  the  bane 
of  the  world  at  large  ;  and  to  present  sacrifices  with- 


406  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

out  Christ  is  the  bane  of  the  Church.  Christ  is  the 
glory  of  every  ordinance  :  whereas  we  are  apt  to 
transfer  the  excellence  to  some  creature.  Rev.  xxi. 
22.  The  Ark  alone  is  not  enough,  without  the  God  of 
the  Ark.  Therefore,  we  see  why  Moses  said,  "  If  thy 
presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up  hence." 

Srdly.  Moses  urged  this  request  from  his  desire  of 
separation  from  other  nations.  "  Wherein  shall  it  be 
known  here  that  I  and  thy  people  have  found  grace  in 
thy  sight  ?  Is  it  not  that  thou  goest  with  us  ?  so  shall 
we  be  separated,  I  and  thy  people,  from  all  the  people 
that  are  upon  the  face  of  the  earth."  Now,  this  sepa- 
ration, for  which  Moses  desires  God's  presence,  has 
been  sometimes  seen  in  a  fanatic.  He  will  be  singu- 
lar:  he  wishes  to  be  remarked  for  something:  this  is 
an  abuse  and  counterfeit,  not  a  holy  separation. 

There  is  another  sort  of  character  that  thinks  it  ''  a 
hard  saying,"  that  he  cannot  be  a  Christian  without 
being  separated  from  the  world.  Such  will  therefore 
by  no  means  submit  to  learn  this  holy,  humble,  separate 
mind  of  Christ.  By  a  true  believer,  this  will  be  fully 
received.  Let  us  be  separate  from  all  nations  m  van- 
ity, in  lust  of  present  things.  "  By  faith  Moses,  when 
he  was  come  to  years,  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of 
Pharaoh's  daughter ;  .  .  .  esteeming  the  reproach  of 
Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt." 
Heb.  xi.  24. 

You  see,  therefore,  what  kind  of  separation  this  was. 
What  a  sentiment  is  here  !  It  is  as  though  Moses  had 
said,  What  is  a  court!  What  are  all  the  treasures  of 
Egypt  !  I  desire  to  be  one  of  the  Church  : — to  have 
God's  presence.  If  I  cannot  have  this  privilege  with- 
out being  despised  of  the  world,  then,  I  desire  to  be 
despised  ;  tell  me  not  what  I  shall  lose  in  this  world, 
but  what  I  shall  gain  in  the  next. 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES.  407 

4thly.  A  further  reason  which  Moses  might  have 
for  urging  this  request,  was  his  own  personal  security 
in  all  events  :  q.  d.  Let  thy  presence  go  with  me,  for  I 
know  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth.  I  know  not 
whether  the  next  act  of  this  people  may  not  make 
thine  anger  smoke.  What  then  can  be  my  own  per- 
sonal security  in  the  midst  of  all  this  ? — "  Set  me  as  a 
seal  upon  thine  heart,  as  a  seal  upon  thine  arm  :"  "  Thou 
hast  said,  I  know  thee  by  name,  and  thou  hast  also 
found  grace  in  my  sight.  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee, 
if  I  have  found  grace  in  thy  sight,  show  me  now  thy 
way,  that  I  may  know  thee,  that  I  may  find  grace  in 
thy  sight." 

I  would  now  bring  this  subject  home  in  a  way  of 
practical  address  to  all. 

There  is  a  conscience  in  every  man.  But  to  whom 
do  I  speak?  1st.  /  speak  to  him  whose  conscience 
tells  him  that  he  does  not  act  upon  the  principle  of 
Moses.  I  say,  your  conscience  tells  you  that  you 
never  put  up  such  a  prayer  as  this.  You  do  not  say, 
on  entering  this  new  year,  O  Lord,  thou  hast  pre- 
served me  through  the  past  year,  but  I  dare  not  go  for- 
ward in  this  next,  but  as  I  am  assured  that  thy  presence 
will  go  with  me  ! — If  your  conscience  declares  that 
you  are  not  acting  upon  this  plan,  then  I  speak  to  you, 
and  must  tell  you  the  truth,  that  you  are  going  on  in  a 
state  of  practical  Atheism.  For  what  does  it  signify 
that  you  may  approve  of  what  you  hear,  if  it  has  no 
influence  on  your  heart  and  conduct  ?  If  your 
thoughts  are  entirely  engrossed  in  the  things  of  time 
and  sense  :  if,  like  the  foolish  builders,  you  say — "  Go 
to,  let  us  build  a  city  and  a  tower,  whose  top  may 
reach  to  heaven  :"  this  year,  we  will  have  a  new  plan, 
new  schemes,  that  may  succeed  :  and  "  let  us  make  us 
a  name." — This  you  may  say  :  but  what  if  God  should 


\ 


408  ORIGINAL    THOUGHT*. 

say,  "  This  year  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee  !*' 
What  if  God  should  say  to  you  as  to  the  barren  fig- 
tree,  "  Behold,  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit 
on  this  fig-tree,  and  find  none  :  cut  it  down ;  why  cum- 
bereth  it  the  ground  ?" — Has  not  this  been  exemplified 
in  innumerable  instances  ?  What,  if  God  should  dash 
to  pieces  3^our  schemes  !  or,  what  is  worse  still,  if  he 
should  suffer  them  to  succeed — saying,  "  Ephraim  is 
joined  to  idols;  let  him  alone!"  If,  instead  of  darken- 
ing the  prospect,  he  should  let  you  succeed,  but  send 
leanness  into  vour  soul  !  Psalm  cvi.  15. 

My  dear  hearers,  you  seek  happiness  in  vain,  but  as 
you  seek  it  like  Moses  !  Thank  God,  that  there  is 
provision  made  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  his  Gospel,  for 
this  high  privilege  !  He  hath  said  to  every  soul  of  us, 
**  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the 
Lord  :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as 
white  as  snow ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they 
shall  be  as  wool."  Isa.  i.  18.  I  therefore  pray  God  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  help  you  this  new  year,  especially  in 
spiritual  things. 

2ndly.  But  I  believe,  and  rejoice  to  consider,  that 
there  are  those  here  who,  like  Moses,  have  true  illumi- 
nation of  heart,  and  who  do  believe  that  wealth,  and 
peace,  and  happiness  are  alone  from  God  :  who,  if  they 
are  not  engaged  in  undertakings  like  Moses,  have  yet 
a  vast  undertaking  before  them  in  the  salvation  of  their 
souls  ;  who  consider  the  danger  of  error,  and  that  even 
in  the  Church  they  may  perish  in  ignorance  and  vanity, 
and  go  through  all  its  services  with  hardness  of  heart, 
unless  they  have  the  Spirit  and  presence  of  God  with 
them. 

I  speak  then  to  such  :  to  those  who  consider  it  their 
special  privilege  to  have  God  with  them  :  who,  like 
Moses,  consider  it  their  personal  security,  and  a  special 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES.  409 

means  of  separation  from  the  world,  and  preservation 
from  its  errors.  I  say,  therefore,  such  seasons  as  these 
are  useful.  It  is  most  useful,  when  entering  into  a  new 
year,  to  review  the  past.  How  instructive  have  been 
the  political  events  of  the  past  year  !  but  the  most  in- 
teresting thing  is  to  take  a  review  of  our  own  lives. 
Returning  seasons  are  useful  in  calling  us  up  to  reflec- 
tion ;  in  leading  us  to  seek  fresh  direction  ;  in  exciting 
us  to  the  correction  of  past  errors  ;  and  to  form,  in  the 
strength  of  God,  fresh  resolutions,  that  we  may  rely 
more  on  God.  Prayer,  like  that  of  Moses,  is  our  best 
defence  on  all  occasions. 

There  is  not  a  man  among  us  that  can  have  any 
conception  of  what  we  may  have  to  meet  in  a  single 
day  !*  But  in  all  contingencies,  if  we  can  but  offer  in 
faith  the  prayer  of  Moses — if  we  can  say,  If  thou  wilt 
but  go  with  me,  keep  me,  direct  me,  hide  me  in  the 
secret  of  thy  tabernacle  ; — then,  who  is  he  that  shall 
harm  me  ? 

"  III  tidings  never  can  surprise 
His  heart,  that  fix'd  on  God  relies, 

Though  waves  and  tempests  roar  around. 
Safe  on  the  Rock  he  sits  and  sees 
The  shipwreck  of  his  enemies, 

And  all  their  hope  and  glory  drown'd." 

Now  a  wise  man  will  be  endeavoring  to  put  up  this 
prayer  for  himself,  and  his  family,  on  entering  this  new 
year :  and,  as  a  benevolent  man,  anxious  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  nation,  and  of  the  Church,  he  will  endeavor 
to  be  an  intercessor  for  others.  He  will  come  to  God 
as  a  God  of  Providence,  a  God  of  love,  and  a  God  of 
grace,  and  plead  as  Abraham.  When  the  eye  of  a 
perplexed  soul  is  turned  to  the  right  object,  he  may 
rest  satisfied  :  for  God  is  ever  the  hearer  of  prayer. 

*  1803. — Expected  invasion  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. — Ed. 

18 


410  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Srdly.  We  may  make  especial  use  of  the  text,  as  we 
are  dying  creatures,  passing  on  from  time  to  eternity. 
Death  is  driving  his  ploughshare  over  the  earth,  because 
sin  has  entered  our  world.  And  shall  man  be  caught 
by  a  few  splendid  vanities,  intended  only  to  mock  him, 
when  he  must  be  so  soon  hurried  off  the  stage  of  life  ! 
Should  not  his  first  thoughts  be  directed  to  an  Almighty 
Friend,  who  shall  guide  him  through  life,  be  with  him 
in  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death,  and  afterwards  re- 
ceive him  to  glory  ?  It  was  such  a  Friend  that  Moses 
sought  when  he  said,  "  If  thy  presence  go  not  with  me, 
carry  me  not  up  hence."  In  catching  sight  of  such  a 
friend,  Job  lifts  up  his  head  and  says,  "  I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth."  With  the  prospect  of  such  friend- 
ship and  help,  we  may  safely  meet  all  the  events  of 
time  and  eternitv. 


THE  BETTER  PART. 

Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from 

her.— Luke  x.  42.  [1802.] 

The  world  is  a  miserable  judge  of  religion :  they 
think  it  madness  or  melancholy ;  they  tell  you  that 
there  is  no  need  for  so  much  of  it ;  forgetting  that  it  is 
said,  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God.'*  To  such  as 
are  desirous  to  honor  Christ,  and  cleave  to  him,  the 
text  is  full  of  encouragement :  the  Lord  seeth  not  as 
man  seeth  :  he  looks  at  the  heart.     We  have  here, 

I.  The  choice  of  Mary. 
II.  The  Lord's  approbation  of  her  choice. 

L  Mary's  choice.     What  was  it  that  Mary  chose  ? 


THE    BETTER    PART.  411 

She  chose  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ :  she  was  deter- 
mined to  gather  up  every  word  that  fell  from  her  Mas- 
ter's lips.  When  we  are  obedient  to  our  heavenly  call- 
ing, we  may  be  said  to  "choose  the  good  part."  No 
good  Cometh  naturally  into  the  heart:  Mary  did  not 
choose  it  of  herself:  it  was  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
While  the  Greeks  counted  these  things  foolishness,  and 
the  Jews  were  stumbled  ;  and  while  the  worldling  cared 
for  none  of  these  things,  see  this  woman  catching  the 
opportunity,  sitting  down,  and  seeming  to  say,  O  thou 
Light  of  the  world,  let  me  but  sit  at  thy  feet !  and  if 
Martha — though  a  godly  woman,  and  my  sister, — loses 
herself  in  the  bustle  and  business  of  the  day,  yet,  by 
the  help  of  God,  I  will  seize  the  occasion — the  oppor- 
tunity— for  no  other  such  may  oifer ! 

A  Christian's  object  is  the  "  one  thing  needful."  The 
worldly  man  has  ten  thousand  objects  ;  his  business 
— his  pleasure — his  credit — his  fame  ;  but  a  true  Chris- 
tian has  but  one  object ;  every  other  is  comparatively 
nothing  to  it.  "  For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  A  Chris- 
tian knows  the  value  of  the  good  creatures  of  God, 
but  he  does  not  put  them  in  the  place  of  God.  He  is 
not  inattentive  to  the  duties  of  his  station,  but  he  will 
first  observe  the  duty  he  owes  to  God ;  he  will  never 
.substitute  earthly  things  for  heavenly.  He  knows  that 
God  can  do  without  any  of  his  creatures,  but  none  of 
his  creatures  can  do  without  him. 

That  may  be  called  true  illumination,  which  per- 
ceives the  better  part  and  pursues  it ;  which  perceives 
religion  to  be  not  merely  a  case  of  necessity,  but  a  su- 
perior-good— the  one  thing  needful — the  better  part: 
better  than  the  wisdom  of  the  Greek  ;  better  than  what 
the  rich  fool  proposed  to  himself  in  pulling  down  his 
barns  to  build  greater ;  better  than  the  state  and  splen- 


412  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

dor  of  Dives,  who  was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen : 
better  than  the  poor  unmeaning  professor,  who  cries, 
"  Lord,  Lord  !"  It  appears  from  our  Lord's  words  that 
Mary  had  a  sense  of  security  ;  a  conviction  that  what 
she  had  chosen  should  never  be  taken  from  her. 

Religion,  my  dear  hearers,  is  not  only  a  spiritual,  but 
a  rational  thing.  What,  asks  the  Christian,  what  is 
there  besides,  that  shall  not  be  taken  away  ?  The 
Christian  is  the  only  man  that  cannot  lose  his  riches : 
death  cannot  touch  them.  He  is  the  only  man  who 
has  any  thing  to  set  the  sole  of  his  foot  upon. 

Mary  chose  "  the  better  part"  with  determination 
and  decision.  She  esteemed  the  words  of  Christ  as 
above  all  the  maxims  of  mere  moralitv.  She  also  chose 
with  certainty,  as  if  she  had  said,  As  for  me,  I  will  go 
to  the  Source  for  wisdom.  Let  others  consider  what 
is  the  fashion — what  is  the  thins;  hio-hest  in  the  world's 
estimation — I  will  sit  at  his  feet ;  I  will  give  up  my 
own  opinion  ;  I  will  take  the  means  to  the  end.  "  The 
Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,"  is  before  me  ;  and  every 
truth  that  falls  from  his  lips  is  more  precious  than  gold  ; 
another  such  opportunity  may  never  offer  :  therefore, 
I  will  not  let  it  slip !     Let  us  now  consider, 

II.   The  Lord's  approbation  of  Mary's  choice. 

What  a  mercy  it  is  that  Christ  is  our  Judge  ;  and 
while  he  will  speak  for  us,  we  need  not  be  anxious  to 
speak  for  ourselves  !  Let  us  learn  to  leave  our  char- 
acter in  the  hands  of  Christ.  "  Jesus  said,  Martha, 
Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things : 
but  one  thing  is  needful :  and  Mary  hath  chosen  that 
good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 
As  if  he  had  said,  I  must  tell  you,  that  no  worldly  care, 
no  temporal  concern,  must  be  brought  to  bear  upon 
this.     This  alone  is  the  good, thing,  Jer.  xxxiii.  14; 


THE    BETTER    PART.  413 

and,  therefore,  I  will  not  bid  thy  sister  leave  her  place : 
she  has  chosen  the  better  part ;  she  has  made  a  wise 
choice. 

Though  Martha  was  "  careful  about  man}^  things," 
she  was  a  good  woman,  and  her  care  was  about  her 
Master.  She  was  not  like  too  many  in  the  world,  who 
neither  think  nor  care  about  Christ.  She  was  rejoiced 
to  receive  him,  and  no  doubt  was  anxious  to  show  her 
love  for  him  by  providing  the  best  accommodation  pos- 
sible. But  Mary  saw  the  privilege  she  should  have  in 
hearing  from  our  Saviour's  own  mouth  those  blessed 
things  that  lay  nearest  her  heart :  as  though  she  had 
said — Whatever  be  the  consequence,  I  will  not  lose  one 
gracious  sentence  that  may  drop  from  his  lips. 

No  doubt,  had  the  wise  men  of  Jerusalem  been  asked, 
they  would  have  taken  the  part  of  Martha :  they  would 
not  have  entered  into  the  views  of  Marv.  But,  as  if 
our  Lord  had  said.  You  look  to  me  as  the  light  of  the 
world  :  you  regard  my  sentence  as  decisive  :  I  will  leave 
it  upon  record  what  true  wisdom  is : — It  is  to  choose 
like  Mary,  that  one  thing  needful,  that  better  part  which 
shall  never  be  taken  away  !  t 

Death  brings  a  strong  proof  of  this  truth  :  I  have 
seen  a  young  person  on  her  death-bed.  and  the  one 
thing  that  tormented  her  was,  "I  have,"  said  she,  "cho- 
sen every  part  but '  the  better  part !'  and  now  I  am  go- 
ing— but,  where?" — Oh!  death  will  speak  out!  It 
will  be  heard  ! — I  have  felt  this  truth  with  tenfold  power 
when  I  have  been  in  dying  circumstances.  Our  Lord 
said,  "If  a  man  keep  my  saying,  he  shall  never  see 
death:"  John  viii.  5L  Our  security  is  that  we  shall 
not  taste  "  the  second  death."  "  Though  I  walk  through 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil." 
The  world's  greatest  joys  have  never  equalled  those 
which   have  been   manifested  by  a  dying  Christian. 


414  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

The  world's  consolations  then — what  are  they  !  But 
there  is  "  strong  consolation  for  those  who  have  fled 
for  refuge  to  lay  hold  of  the  hope  set  before  them." 
Heb.  vi.  18.  God  raised  Christ  from  the  dead  that  he 
might  ratify  all  that  he  had  said,  and  show  his  approval 
of  it  as  a  foundation  for  us  to  build  upon.  John  vi. 
63—69. 

"  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever." If  any  should  ask,  "  What  is  truth  ?"  Christ  has 
pronounced  both  what  it  is,  and  his  approbation  of  those 
who  make  choice  of  it.  A  Christian  is  a  volunteer ; 
he  chooses  his  portion  ;  and  he  chooses  wisely.  Yet, 
remember,  he  is  one  who  is  made  willing  in  the  day  of 
God's  power.  Our  poor  finite  minds  cannot  compre- 
hend how  it  can  be  choice,  and  yet  of  free  grace :  yet 
both  are  laid  down  in  Scripture.  As  soon  as  choice  is 
made,  there  is  a  blessing ;  and  if  you  die  before  the 
choice  is  made,  you  had  better  never  have  been  born  : 
for  there  is  a  worm  that  dieth  not,  and  a  fire  that  is 
not  quenched  !  Mark  ix.  44. 

Oh,  let  me  not  go  from  this  pulpit  to  stand  as  a 
witness  against  any  of  you  !  to  bear  witness,  that  the 
Gospel  was  freely  set  before  you,  but  ye  would  not 
receive  it  into  your  hearts  ! 

While  we  may  propose  to  make  choice  of  the  one 
thing  needful,  yet  there  is  a  danger  in  our  taking  up  a 
part  of  religion,  as  if  it  were  the  whole.  Thus,  while 
some  are  sitting  at  Christ's  feet,  willing  to  hear  his 
precepts,  some  are  for  doctrine  only.  Some  choose 
Christ  in  his  priestly  office,  some  in  his  kingly.  Breth- 
ren !  "  is  Christ  divided  ?"  Every  part  of  his  work  is 
essential  to  salvation  !  To-dav,  the  ordinance  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  is  set  before  us.  Now,  there  are  some 
that  seem  to  have  heard  every  thing  which  Christ  has 
said  except  one,  "  This  do  in  remembrance  of  me." 


THE    BETTER    PART.  415 

But  did  not  your  Master  expressly  command  you  to 
distinguish  yourselves  as  his  disciples  ?  and  if  you  do 
not  hear  this,  is  it  not  a  sign  of  error  ?  .  .  .  . 


THE  BETTER  PART. 

THE    SAME    SUBJECT    CONTINUED. 

You  will  remember  that  I  took  up  this  subject  in  the 
morning  with  reference  to  Mary's  choice  of  the 
BETTER  PART  ;  but  now  I  take  it  up  in  a  more  general 
way.  If  you  read  this  little  history  again,  it  will  help 
us  to  think  of  Christianity, 

I.  With  reference  to  its  usual  residence. 
II.  In  reference  to  the  proposals  which  it  makes 

to  us. 

I.  Its  usual  residence. — Here  is  a  conversation  in 
a  village,  in  a  private  house.  It  is  true,  Christianity 
has  found  its  way  into  courts,  into  senates,  and  into 
the  schools  of  the  learned :  for  "  wisdom  crieth  without ; 
she  uttereth  her  voice  in  the  streets :"  there  is  some- 
thing iri  Christianity  that  will  penetrate,  like  the  shining 
of  the  sun :  but  it  is  not  usually  found  in  these  places ; 
and  this  shows  the  poverty  of  the  world's  bravery — 
that  every  thing  is  found  there  but  Christ.  "  This 
world  was  made  for  Caesar  :"  but  "  thus  saith  the  High 
and  Lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name  is 
Holy  ;  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also 
that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit."  Isa.  Ivii.  15. 
As  though  God  had  said — There  is  an  acquaintance 
between   us ;   a   transaction ;   and   when   the   Gospel 


416  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

comes  into  the  meanest  village,  there  am  I.  How 
like  a  Father  does  God  speak  to  us !  "  Come,  my 
people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers  :"  take  shelter 
under  the  shadow  of  my  wings  !  Wisdom  cried  in  the 
city,  but  was  better  heard  at  "  the  well,"  and  in  "  the 
garden." 

For  want  of  conversing  with  Christ,  and  our  own 
hearts,  there  is  a  miserable,  fruitless  religion  gone  forth  : 
the  form  without  the  power. 

Ah  !  ye  that  go  to  public  amusements  for  satisfaction, 
how  can  ye  hear  of  Christ  ?  Ye  go  into  the  very  places 
where  he  is  not !  Consider  (if  I  may  so  say)  the  haunts 
of  Christianity ! 

II.  Let  us  think  of  Christianity  in  reference  to 
the  proposals  that  it  makes  to  us. 

There  are  "  better"  things  offered,  things  absolutely 
good.  Here  lies  the  fault  of  many  sermons,  and  many 
religious  books — they  treat  of  "  many  things :"  but 
there  is  but  "  one  thing"  that  is  essentially  necessary ; 
and  this  must  never  be  lost  sight  of. 

Suppose  the  case  of  a  traitor.  You  go  to  this  man, 
under  sentence  of  death:  you  talk  to  him  of  the  excel- 
lence of  sobriety,  of  integrity,  of  his  duty  to  his  neigh- 
bor, &:c. ;  and  that  is  all  true,  and  important,  and  it 
should,  no  doubt,  be  stated.  But  there  is  one  good 
thing  he  wants  first  of  all — and  that  is,  pardon  !  One 
thing  is  in  his  heart:  Tell  me  first,  says  he,  if  1  shall 
have  a  pardon ;  and  then  I  will  hear  all  you  have  to 
say.  Till  Jesus,  and  his  salvation,  be  taken  hold  of — 
till,  like  Mary,  we  come  to  know  this  "  better  part," 
and  to  feel  its  interior  excellence,  so  as  to  embrace  it 
for  ourselves — we  are  "  without  hope,  and  without  God 
in  the  world  :  and  better  were  it  for  us  if  we  had  never 


THE    BETTER    PART.  417 

been  born,  than  that  we  should  die  in  such  a  state  as 
this. 

Christianity  proposes  to  us  something  that  can  be 
retained.  Nothing  can  be  retained  by  man,  who  js 
crumbling  every  day  into  the  dust,  but  what  is  retained 
in  his  mind — in  his  heart  and  conscience ;  and  there- 
fore a  true  believer  is  the  only  man  who  cannot  be 
stripped  of  his  treasure.  This  treasure  has  been  first  a 
gift  from  above :  and  our  ability  to  retain  it  must  be 
derived  from  a  holy  influence — by  the  Holy  Ghost 
dwelling  in  us.  2  Tim.  i.  14.  Our  Lord  speaks  of  a 
man  that  went  into  a  field  and  found  treasure.  If  you 
had  all  the  treasures  on  earth,  and  did  not  know  how 
to  retain  them,  what  would  they  profit  you  even  in  this 
life  ?  Our  object  should  be  to  secure  something  that 
we  can  retain  bevond  this  life  :  therefore  Christ  teaches 
us  that  he  is  a  wise  man  who,  having  found  in  a  field 
the  hidden  treasure,  "  for  joy  thereof  goeth  and  selleth 
all  that  he  hath  and  buveth  that  field."  Matt.  xiii.  44. 
A  thinking  man,  is  one  whom  God  teaches  that  there 
is  no  other  ground  on  the  face  of  the  earth  where  he 
can  set  the  sole  of  his  foot,  but  the  Gospel :  and  there- 
fore, on  the  most  rational  principle,  he  says,  with  Peter, 
''Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life." 

I  proceed  now  to  make  a  few  general  observations 
on  this  subject. 

1st.  Christianity  is  here  presented  to  us  in  its  aim 
and  expectation. — There  are  few  that  seem  to  feel 
they  have  found  any  thing ;  yet  they  hope  on :  but 
they  find  their  hopes  like  their  dreams.  The  believer 
is  a  man  of  hope  too;  but  with  this  difference — his  ex- 
pectations are  founded  on  a  rock,  he  knows  in  whom 
he  has  believed.  A  madman  may  be  talking  of  his  ex- 
pectations :  but  a  Christian  has  certain  grounds  for  his 

18* 


418  '     ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

assurance :  he  knows,  if  he  has  afflictions,  that  they  are 
preparing  him  for  his  blessed  estate.  The  "  good  part" 
he  has  "  chosen"  shall  "  never  be  taken  away." 

2ndly.  TVe  are  also  instructed  as  to  the  position  of 
Christianity :  namely,  the  position  in  which  Mary  was 
found,  sitting  at  her  Master's  feet.  The  Christian's 
place  is  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Christ,  and  hear  his  word  : 
he  will  never  learn,  or  grow,  so  well  as  there.  It  is 
the  first  and  safest  place  in  the  heavenly  school. 
"  Whosoever,"  says  our  Lord,  "  shall  not  receive  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter 
therein."  Mark  x.  15.  To  come,  as  a  little  child,  to 
the  feet  of  Jesus — to  determine  as  Mary  did,  to  abide 
there — this  is  Christianity.  The  believer  that  is  thus 
taught  will  not  be  content  to  hear,  now  and  then,  what 
the  Lord  has  to  say — just  when  opportunity  may  serve, 
and  when  no  other  concerns  are  in  the  way :  he  will 
be  like  the  merchantman  seeking  goodly  pearls,  who, 
when  he  had  found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  and 
sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it."  He  will  be.,  like 
Mary,  sittting  down  at  Christ's  feet. 

And,  let  me  ask,  where  should  ignorance  be  found  ? 
What  should  be  the  position  of  a  guilty  creature — of  a 
sinner  ?  Should  it  not  be  that  of  a  person  made  sensi- 
ble (as  every  enlightened  man  is)  that  he  is  all  want 
and  necessity  ? 

And  here,  again,  appears  to  be  the  fault  of  many 
preachers,  and  of  many  books — they  seem  to  be  teach- 
ers of  their  Teacher.  They  talk  of  man's  rational 
powers,  &c.,  as  if  they  were  determined  to  talk  dia- 
metrically opposite  to  the  Scriptures.  The  Scriptures 
speak  to  man  as  helpless,  as  poor,  as  ignorant :  they 
put  man  in  his  proper  position  :  they  bid  him  cast 
down  all  imaginations :  and  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  not  only  enlightens,  but  makes  a  man  willing  to 


THE    BETTER    PART.  419 

cast  them  down :  so  that  he  desires  to  sit  at  his  Mas- 
ter's feet,  and  learn.  If  God  has  brought  any  of  your 
hearts  to  this,  I  must  congratulate  you,  and  call  you 
blessed. 

3rdly.  This  Scripture  instructs  us  as  to  the  justifi- 
cation which  a  Christian  expects  in  following  his  Di- 
vine Master. — I  do  not  now  refer  to  the  doctrine  of 
justification,  but  the  justification  which  Christ  will 
make  of  a  Christian's  choice.  "  I  judge  not  mine  own 
self,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  for  I  know  nothing  by  my- 
self; yet  am  I  not  hereby  justified  :  but  he  that  judgeth 
me  is  the  Lord."  1  Cor.  iv.  4. 

Men,,  when  they  hear  these  truths,  or  any  of  the 
leading  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  begin  to  tell  you  what 
they  "  think,"  and  also  what  this  and  that  man 
*'  thinks."  But  this  is  nothing  to  the  purpose.  What 
does  it  signify  what  the  criminal  thinks  ?  the  point  is 
what,  the  Judge  says. 

Let  me  suppose  that  these  speculators  were  called  to- 
gether, and  beheld  the  scene  of  this  little  historical  an- 
ecdote. The  crowd  would  look  at  the  meanness  of  the 
house  ;  the  fastidious  would  complain  of  the  style  of 
things  ;  the  Jew  would  say,  there  was  something  new  ; 
the  Greek  would  set  it  down  as  foolishness  ;  the  scorn- 
ful would  turn  the  whole  into  ridicule.  Ah  !  well 
might  the  Apostle  say,  "  Whom  none  of  the  princes  of 
this  world  knew  :  for  had  they  known  him,  they  would 
not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory."  1  Cor.  ii.  8. 
But  let  us  remember,  that  one  single  word  from  him 
who  is  to  be  our  Judge,  who  is  to  pronounce  sentence, 
who  will  not  say  to  the  world,  What  think  ye  ? — one 
word  from  Him,  will  be  infinitely  more  important  than 
the  opinion  of  all  the  wisest  men  that  ever  lived  ;  nay, 
of  the  highest  angels !  "  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar- 
jona  ;  for  flesh  and  blood   hath  not  revealed  it  unto 


420  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  Matt.  xvi.  17. 
When  Christ  comes  to  judgment,  how  little  then  will 
the  scoffs  and  opinions  of  the  world  weigh  ! 

"  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part  which  shall  not 
be  taken  away  from  her."  Who  is  it  that  saith  this  ? 
Even  our  Lord  himself.  Christ's  word  is  the  Chris- 
tian's security.  You  may  find  trials,  temptations,  dif- 
ficulties ;  you  may  hear  people  accusing  you  of  not 
being  careful  enough  after  the  things  of  this  world  ; 
you  may  meet  with  scoffers  :  you  may  have  perse- 
cutions, and  troubles,  from  every  quarter  ;  but  see  that 
your  eye  is  steadfastly  fixed  upon  Christ  as  your  Ob- 
ject :  be  found  sitting  in  your  place,  at  his  feet,  and 
taking  his  word  for  your  security,  and  then  you  need 
fear  nothmg  ;  you  shall  never  be  deprived  of  that 
*'  better  part"  which  shall  bring  you  everlasting  peace 
and  joy  { 


THE  VIGOROUS  NATURE  OF  TRUE  GRACE. 

Many  of  them  also  which  used  curious  arts  brought  their  books  together, 
and  burned  them  before  all  men  :  and  they  counted  the  price  of  them, 
and  found  it  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver.  So  mightily  grew  the 
word  of  God  and  prevailed. — Acts  xix.  19,  20,  [1805.] 

"  As  the  rain  cometh  down,  and  the  snow  from 
heaven,  and  returneth  not  thither,  but  watereth  the 
earth,  and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud,  that  it  may 
give  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the  eater :  so  shall 
my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth  :  it  shall 
not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that 
which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto 
I  sent  it."     Isa.  Iv.  10,  11.     This  promise  is  confirmed 


THE    VIGOROUS    NATURE    OF    TRUE    GRACE.  421 

in  the  text  by  an  historical  fact ;  and  even  against  the 
most  powerful  impediments.  See  the  context :  "  So 
mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed  ;"  i.  e. 
notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  world  around. 

There  seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  a  seed  or  plant ;  to 
a  '*  grain  of  mustard  seed."  Matt.  xiii.  3.  A  Chris- 
tian is  a  plant  planted  by  God's  own  hand  :  true  re- 
ligion is  a  progressive  thing.     Here  is, 

I.    The  PLANTATION  OF  GRACE. 

II.  The  untowardness  of  the  soil  in  which  it 

WAS  PLACED. 

III.  The  EVIDENCE  of  its  growth. 

I.  The  plantation  of  grace.  The  sending  of  the 
Gospel  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  "  The  seed,  of 
the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head."  "  Say  not 
in  thine  heart,  Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven  ?  that  is,  to 
bring  Christ  down  from  above  :  .  .  .  the  word  is  nigh 
thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart :  that  is  the 
word  of  faith  which  we  preach."  This  is  the  setting 
up  of  the  "  Ensign"  spoken  of  in  the  eleventh  chapter 
of  Isaiah.  We  are  as  ambassadors  :  "  Behold,"  said 
the  angels,  "  we  bring  you  tidings  of  great  joy."  God 
is  stooping  down  to  man,  meeting  his  wants. 

And,  as  to  disputers  of  this  world,  God  has  appointed 
Christ  "  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  Therefore 
the  grace  of  the  implantation  of  the  Gospel  is  like  the 
marriage  of  the  king's  son:  Matt.  xxii.  Men  totally 
mistake,  if  they  think  there  is  nothing  set  forth  but  a 
plan  of  reform.  No  doubt  there  is  this  ;  it  is  a  part 
of  religion  ;  but  there  is  more ;  there  is  the  mercy 
granted  to  a  felon.  "  To  me,  who  am  less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given,  that  I  should 
preach  among  the  Gentiles,  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ." 


422  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

II.  The  untowardness  of  the  soil  in  which  it  is 

PLANTED. 

Yet,  wherever  it  is  preached,  it  brings  forth  some 
fruit.  In  the  passage  before  us,  we  see  the  various 
enemies  ; — the  idolaters, — verses  24  to  27.  Yet,  "  so 
mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed"  in  that 
very  place.  Can  there  be  any  thing  more  discouraging 
than  the  contemplation  of  the  politician,  the  pleasure- 
taker,  the  formalist  ?  Can  the  followers  of  Diana  be 
the  followers  of  Christ  ?  There  is  every  thing  in  the 
Gospel  opposed  to  the  carnal  heart ;  but  there  is  "  a  two- 
edged  sword"  of  the  Gospel,  that  penetrates.  Another 
set  of  enemies  are  hypocrites.  See  chap.  v.  11.  "And 
great  fear  came  upon  all  the  Church,  and  upon  as  many 
as  heard  these  things ;"  i.  e.  when  they  saw  the  spirit- 
uality of  the  Gospel.  "So  mightily  grew  the  word  of 
God  and  prevailed." 

Nothing  more  invaUdates  the  truth  of  the  Gospel, 
than  the  assumptions  of  false  professors ;  but  the 
Gospel,  like  a  plant  of  great  vigor,  will  grow  almost 
among  stones.  Thus  have  I  seen  it  to  grow  among 
hypocrites,  formalists,  and  worldlings  :  I  have  seen  men, 
in  this  case,  laying  hold  of  it,  however  untoward  the 
surrounding  soil.  "  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God 
and  prevailed. 

III.  The  evidence  of  its  growth. 

Mark  what  is  said,  verse  17.  **  And  fear  fell  on 
them  all,  and  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  magni- 
fied." There  is  nothing  but  God's  putting  his  fear  into 
our  hearts  that  will  make  religion  grow  there  :  then  it 
is  that  we  begin  to  feel  our  need  of  the  Gospel.  There 
is  also  an  evidence  of  reality,  in  that  it  is  said,  "  The 
name  of  the   Lord   Jesus  was  magnified."     "Every 


THE  VIGOROUS  NATURE  OF  TRUE  GRACE.    423 

man  therefore,"  says  Christ,  "  that  hath  heard  and  hath 
learned  of  the  Father,  cometh  unto  me."  *'  I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  The  song  of 
the  ransomed  Church  is,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain." 

Here  was  an  evidence,  which  arose  from  the  sincer- 
ity of  their  confession.  Now,  with  respect  to  the 
carnal  professor,  there  is  a  lie ;  and  though  be  may 
have  right  notions,  there  is  no  simplicity  ;  something  is 
concealed,  as  the  love  of  gold  and  mammon.  "  Spare 
me  this  !"  he  cries.  But  instead  of  such  hypocrisy,  in 
the  case  before  us,  "  many  that  believed  came  and 
confessed,  and  showed  their  deeds." 

Again,  they  were  willing  to  make  a  sacrifice  :  "Many 
of  them  also  which  used  curious  arts,  brought  their 
books  together,  and  burned  them  before  all  men ;  and 
they  counted  the  price  of  them,  and  found  it  fifty  thou- 
sand pieces  of  silver,"  or  about  1500/.  of  our  money. 
*'  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed." 
When  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel  begins  to  work,  there 
will  be  no  need  of  a  train  of  arguments  to  prove  how 
inexpedient,  how  utterly  unworthy  it  is  for  a  Christian 
to  turn  aside  after  the  vain  amusements  and  trifling 
books  used  by  the  world :  "  Ephraim  shall  say,  What 
have  I  any  more  to  do  with  idols  ?"  What  have  I  to 
do  with  black  arts,  or  dealing  with  a  lie  ?  Those  who 
first  trusted  in  Christ  were  willing  to  forsake  all  and^ 
follow  him.  The  grace  of  the  Gospel  produces  a  new 
taste — it  alters  every  thing  about  us ; — our  friends, 
our  pursuits, — our  books,  &c. 

Let  us  inquire  how  the  matter  stands  with  us.  If 
you  ask,  How  shall  I  know  whether  the  word  of  God 
is  growing  and  prevailing  in  my  heart  ?  I  would  not 
recommend  you  to  take  the  opinion  of  any  individual 
upon  earth  :  but  take  the  word  of  God  :  look  at  the  text. 


424  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

What  do  you  see  here  ?  Here  are  evidences  of  the 
reality  of  its  growth.  It  is  too  evident  that  men  may 
sit  under  the  means  of  the  Gospel  without  experiencing 
the  grace  of  the  Gospel. 

It  is  desirable  to  exercise  gifts,  and  talents,  and 
knowledge ;  but  these  are  no  evidence  of  things  that 
accompany  salvation  ;  which  consist  in  the  magnifying 
of  Christ ;  in  breaking  off  besetting  sins ;  in  a  sincere 
departing  from  evil,  and  a  choosing  of  that  which  is 
right.  The  reason  why  there  are  so  many  unmeaning 
professors  is,  because  the  word  of  God  does  not  grow 
and  prevail  in  their  hearts. 

If  any  ask,  What  are  those  sacrifices  which  are  like 
bringing  the  books  and  burning  them  ?  I  answer,  It  is 
the  renouncing  whatever  calls  off'  the  mind  from  the 
care  of  the  soul ;  whatever  leads  us  to  rest  short  of 
God  in  Christ ;  whatever  tends  to  flatter  our  vanity  ; 
whatever  tends  to  lessen  our  sense  of  sin,  as  an 
infinite  evil ;  and  whatever  tends  to  aggrandize  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  in  our  minds.  If 
the  word  of  God  grows  and  prevails,  you  will  resolve, 
with  St.  Paul,  not  to  confer  with  flesh  and  blood.  Aim, 
like  these  people,  to  magnify  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Do  not  despair  because  of  the  untoward  soil. 
The  world  always  was  the  same,  and  the  grace  of  God 
is  the  same ;  there  is  the  same  promise  of  the  Spirit, 
the  same  hope  as  to  the  end.  Do  not  expect  the  world 
to  understand  your  principles. 

Have  no  recourse  to  arts :  there  are  strange  things 
apt  to  creep  in,  even  into  religious  houses :  bring  out 
the  books,  and  burn  them  !  See  2  Chron.  xxiii.  17.  We 
must  not  use  the  arts  of  the  world,  because  many  talk 
of  the  greater  good  that  may  result  from  certain  com- 
pliances with  its  manners,  habits,  and  customs.  See 
the  account  of  Ahaz,  2  Chron.  xxviii.  23.     Do  not  ask 


THE  BACKSLIDER  INSTRUCTED  AND  ADMONISHED.      425 

what  the  vakie  of  books  is  :   ask,  What  is  required  by 
my  profession  of  the  Gospel  ?      One  sure   Friend  is 
enough  :   a  Friend  that  has  said,   "  Seek  ye  first   the    * 
kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  other 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 


THE  BICKSLIDEK  INSTRUCTED  AND  ADMON- 
ISHED. 

When  Ephraim  spake  trembling,  he  exalted  himself  in  Israel ;  but  when 
he  offended  in  Baal,  he  died. — Hosea  xiii.  1,         [1806.] 

If  we  were  to  examine  the  symptoms  of  consumption 
as  they  appeared  three  or  four  hundred  years  ago,  we 
should  find  them  much  the  same  as  at  the  present  time; 
and  the  disease  treated  much  in  the  same  way.  There 
is  in  this  disease  at  all  times  a  feverish  excitement, 
leading  to  death.  So  in  the  Church,  if  we  see  a  mem- 
ber of  it  become  high-minded,  and  exalted;  if  he  lifts 
up  himself  and  becomes  self-confident,  we  have  reason 
to  fear  a  spiritual  death  is  working  under  these  symp- 
toms. "  He  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased." 
There  is  a  necessity  not  only  for  calling  the  world  to 
account,  but  even  the  Church  itself,  when  it  begins  to 
be  in  a  declining  state.  The  vanity  of  a  mere  profes- 
sion is  set*  forth  all  through  this  prophecy ;  and  the 
man  of  a  tender  and  sensitive  conscience  will  find  the 
prophet  Hosea  speaking  as  much  to  his  case  as  if  he 
had  lived  in  the  present  day.     I  propose, 

I.    To  EXPLAIN  THE  WORDS  OF  THE  TEXT  ; 
II.    To  APPLY  THEM. 

I.  Ephraim  is  but  another  name  for  Israel,  i.  e.  the 


426  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

Church  of  God, — which  was,  at  this  time,  become 
proud  and  idolatrous ;  following  their  own  vanities, 
and  taking  into  their  council  flesh  and  blood.  The 
prophet  calls  upon  this  Church  to  consider  the  differ- 
ence of  its  present  tone,  and  voice,  from  that  which  it 
had  in  better  days  :  "  When  Ephraim  spake  trembling 
he  exalted  himself  in  Israel." 

When  a  Christian  is  said  to  "speak  trembling,"  it 
does  not  imply  that  he  is  a  man  of  a  dastardly  spirit : 
one  thing  is  often  taken  for  another  because  there  is 
some  resemblance,  though  they  are  essentially  different. 
This  state  of  mind  is  not  to  exhibit  the  cowardice  of 
the  spies,  who  trembled  to  execute  their  commission, 
and  brought  up  an  evil  report  of  the  good  land ;  it  is 
not  to  belong  to  the  "fearful  and  unbelieving,"  who 
dread  the  cross  in  religion,  and  dare  not  do  their  duty. 
Nor  is  it  to  speak  like  Eli,  who  could  only  say,  "Nay, 
my  sons,"  when  he  ought  to  have  spoken  with  authority: 
nor  is  it  to  speak  as  Moses,  when  he  said,  "  Whence 
should  I  have  flesh  to  give  unto  all  this  people  V  Num. 
xi.  13  ;  he  spake  trembling,  but  he  did  not  exalt  him- 
self. Neither  are  we  to  consider  it  as  the  language  of 
one  overwhelmed,  as  Isaiah,  "  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  un- 
done !"  To  speak  "  trembling"  is  not  the  effect  of  a 
mere  constitutional  timidity,  which  is  often  mistaken 
for  meekness  and  humility :  much  less  does  it  mean 
that  sort  of  affected  humility  which  leads  a  man  to  speak 
of  himself  in  very  abasing  terms,  while  if  another  speak 
in  the  same  way  of  him,  his  pride  is  offended,  and  he 
exhibits  displeasure  and  resentment.  We  must  look 
for  something  more  than  all  this  when  we  consider  the 
text  as  indicating  the  loss  of  a  contrite  spirit  in  Eph- 
raim ;  it  was  a  decrease  in  grace :  he  had  ceased  to 
speak  with  holy  fear. 

What,  then,  are  we  to  understand  by  these  words — 


THE  BACKSLIDER   INSTRUCTED  AND  ADMONISHED.      427 

"  When  Ephraim  spake  trembling  ?"  They  seem  to 
refer  to  the  state  and  feelings  of  a  young,  tender,  simple- 
hearted,  and  prayerful  believer,  when,  under  a  strong 
sense  of  his  weakness,  and  of  the  evils  of  his  own  heart, 
he  says,  I  need  special  direction  ;  I  cannot  trust  myself; 
"  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner !"  "  Turn  thou  me, 
and  so  shall  I  be  turned."  Such  a  one  is  not  for  mak- 
ing a  bargain  to  be  saved  upon  his  own  terms,  but 
says, "  Lord,  save  me  in  any  way  !  If  I  have  not  grace 
to  pluck  out  a  right  eye,  pull  it  out  for  me  :  if  I  cannot 
part  with  a  right  hand,  cut  it  off  for  me :  let  me  be 
saved,  whatever  it  may  cost :  let  me  be  taught  of  God : 
and  if  I  must  have  every  proud  opinion  torn  up  by  the 
roots,  so  let  it  be  :  the  Lord  grant  that  I  may  be  cured  : 
that  I  may  be  willing  to  suffer  reproach,  not  only  from 
the  world,  but  from  the  Church  if  it  be  necessary  to 
my  healing ;  the  Lord  help  me  to  suspect  every  thing 
that  looks  like  mischief,  and  to  watch  on  every  side  ! 

When  a  man  is  taught  to  speak  in  this  way,  God 
has  already  begun  to  exalt  him.  This  is  that  language 
of  a  humble  and  contrite  heart,  which,  under  the  Holy 
Spirit's  teaching,  has  obtained  a  sense  of  its  natural 
depravity.  Abraham  spoke  thus  trembling,  when  he 
said,  "  Behold  now,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak 
unto  the  Lord,  which  am  but  dust  and  ashes."  It 
was  the  spirit  of  Peter, — not  when  he  was  self-confi- 
dent and  said,  "  Though  all  men  should  deny  thee,  yet 
will  not  I," — but  when  he  said,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest 
all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  :"  I  dare  not 
be  confident,  I  can  only  appeal  to  thine  all-searching 
eye !  See  the  change  wrought  in  Saul,  the  proud 
Pharisee,  when  he  termed  himself  "  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners !"  So  Job,  "  Behold,  I  am  vile."  So  Jacob,  when 
about  to  meet  Esau,  "  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of 
all  the  mercies,  and  of  all  the  truth,  which  thou  hast 


428  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

showed  unto  thy  servant."  So  Solomon,  "  I  am  but  a 
little  child  ;  I  know  not  how  to  go  out,  or  come  in." 
So  Daniel,  when  he  made  supplication  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes. 

"  When  Ephraim  spake  trembling,"  i.  e.  when  he. 
was  humbled  for  sin,  he  was  '•  exalted."  This  does 
not  mean  that  he  was  puffed  up :  but  it  signifies  that 
he  was  actually  exalted  by  God,  prospered,  and  estab- 
lished. He  grew  up  as  a  plant  that  had  root,  and  that 
was  watered.  That  was  a  remarkable  hint  which 
Samuel  gave  to  Saul,  "  When  thou  wast  little  in  thine 
own  sight,  wast  thou  not  made  the  head  of  the  tribes 
of  Israel  ?"  When  Jacob  wandered  as  an  exile,  and 
was  pursued  by  his  brother  Esau,  and  with  humility 
and  prayer  wrestled  with  God  for  deliverance,  he  pre- 
vailed, and  was  also  exalted  :  "  Thy  name  shall  be 
called  no  more  Jacob,  but  Israel :  for  as  a  prince  hast 
thou  power  with  God  and  with  man,  and  hast  pre-^ 
vailed."  When  David  was  cursed  by  Shimei,  he  spake 
trembling ;  q.  d.  I  will  bow  to  my  dispensation  :  I  un- 
derstand it :  "  the  Lord  hath  bid  Shimei  curse  David  :'' 
and  deliverance  was  then  at  hand.  When  Solomon 
said,  "  I  am  but  a  little  child,"  he  was  in  the  road  to 
become  the  wisest  and  greatest  man  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth.     "  Before  honor  is  humility." 

"But  when  he  offended  in  Baal,  he  died."  How  he 
offended,  see  in  verses  2,  3  ;  also  2  Kings  xvii.  16 — 18. 
See  also  his  language  at  this  very  time,  chap.  xii.  8  : 
"  And  Ephraim  said.  Yet  I  am  become  rich,  I  have 
found  me  out  substance :  in  all  my  labors  they  shall 
find  none  iniquity  in  me  that  were  sin."  "  Jeshurun 
waxed  fat,  and  kicked  :  then  he  forsook  God  which 
made  him,  and  lightly  esteemed  the  Rock  of  his  Salva- 
tion." "  The  rich  man's  wealth  is  his  strong  city," 
but  it  is  added,  "  and  as  an  high  wall  in  his  own  con- 


THE  BACKSLIDER  INSTRUCTED  AND  ADMONISHED.       429 

ceit."  Jeremiah  describes  this  state  of  mind,  chap. 
V.  27  ;  "  They  are  become  great,  and  waxen  rich  : 
they  are  waxen  fat,  they  shine :  they  overpass  the 
deeds  of  the  wicked  :  they  judge  not  the  cause,  the 
cause  of  the  fatherless  ;"  they  seem  to  say,  Let  us  be 
consequential,  and  make  ourselves  of  importance  in  the 
earth. 

When  the  heart  turns  to  any  idol  (and  covetousness 
is  idolatry),  nothing  can  prevent  a  spiritual  death. 
When  Ephraim  thus  "  offended  in  Baal,  he  died  ;"  and 
no  wonder ;  if  God  withdraws,  we  must  die  ;  and  if 
we  offend,  God  will  withdraw.  While  Ephraim  leaned 
upon  God,  he  was  supported  by  an  Almighty  Friend  ; 
but  when  he  joined  himself  to  idols,  he  was  left  alone, 
left  to  suffer  the  consequences  of  his  backsliding. 
Nothing  humbles  a  man  more  than  being  left  to  feel 
the  consequences  of  his  own  sin.  He  who  leaves  "  the 
fountain  of  living  waters,"  and  goes  to  "  broken  cis- 
terns" for  supplies,  cannot  wonder  if  he  find  no  water 
in  them.  Such  a  backslider  may  maintain  his  outward 
profession,  attend  the  sacrament  as  usual,  but  God  sees 
that  the  inward  and  spiritual  grace  is  wanting.  He 
says,  "  Therefore  will  I  be  unto  Ephraim  as  a  moth, 
and  to  the  house  of  Judah  as  rottenness  :"  Hos.  v.  12 : 
as  a  moth-eaten  garment  which  will  not  bear  the  least 
touch, — every  thing  may  look  the  same  ;  but  there  is 
a  worm,  producing  rottenness.  When  a  Christian  gets 
rich  in  the  world,  he  is  very  apt  to  become  fearless  of 
the  consequences  to  his  soul.  There  is  perhaps  a 
spiritual  consumption  begun  ;  but  the  patient  says,  I 
feel  no  sickness.  •*  They  were  filled,"  says  God,  "  and 
their  heart  was  exalted  ;  therefore  have  they  forgotten 
me :  therefore  will  I  be  unto  them  as  a  lion  :  as  a 
leopard  by  the  way  will  I  observe  them ;  I  will  meet 
them  as  a  bear  that  is  bereaved  of  her  whelps,  and  will 


430  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

rend  the  caul  of  their  heart,  and  then  will  I  devour 
them  like  a  lion."  Verses  7,  8.  Sometimes  God  pun- 
ishes an  idolater  with  a  sudden  natural  death ;  as  in 
the  case  of  Dathan  and  Abiram,  Achan,  &c. 

It  signifies  nothing  after  what  a  man  turns  aside.  It 
is  absolute  trifling  for  him  to  say,  My  idol  is  not  of 
this  form,  or  of  the  other.  The  question  is,  Have  we 
forsaken  the  Lord  ?  Have  we  turned  aside  ?  There 
are  many  methods  of  varnishing  over  sin  :  but  how 
highly  soever  we  may  think  to  polish  it,  that  does  not 
alter  its  nature.  Whatever  may  have  been  a  man's 
former  profession,  if  he  has  in  any  way  turned  aside 
after  Baal,  he  must  die.  Even  David,  the  man  after 
God's  own  heart,  "  offended  in  Baal  :"  and  if  God  had 
not  been  pleased  to  restore  him,  he  must  have  died. 
So  Solomon  his  son,  when  he  offended  in  Baal,  what 
a  mean  debased  picture  was  the  latter  part  of  his  life  ! 
And  he  was  left  to  die  under  obscurity  as  to  his  real 
character. 

Happy  would  it  be  if  these  sad  instances  of  spiritual 
decay  were  only  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  the  an- 
cient Church.  But  who  is  there  that  cannot  recollect 
persons  who  once  ran  well,  so  that  wherever  they 
came,  society  was  the  better  for  them, — there  was  an 
ointment,  a  goodly  savor  that  communicated  itself  to 
all  around — they  "  spake  trembling" — till  some  moral 
sickness  took  hold  of  them,  and  they  were  turned  aside 
after  Baal  ?  It  signifies  nothing  what  we  have  been  : 
the  finest  flower  will  wither  and  die,  if  we  take  away 
from  it  the  air  and  water. 

If  a  man  is  upon  the  brink  of  ruin,  he  will  give  this, 
among  other  symptoms  :  He  has  ceased  to  speak  with 
holy  fear ;  his  heart  is  stout ;  he  gets  heady  and  incau- 
tious ;  he  has  no  longer  a  godly  jealousy  and  holy  cir- 
cumspection.    The    more   self-confident,   the   greater 


THE  BACKSLIDER  INSTRUCTED  AND  ADMONISHED.       431 

the  danger :  "  Be  thou  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  all  the 
day  long.'* 

Different  ages  and  dispensations  make  no  sort  of 
difference  with  respect  to  the  grand  leading  points  of 
true  religion.  Death  will  ensue  in  every  Church  as 
far  as  it  leaves  Christ,  and  sets  up  Baal.  Whenever  a 
Christian  becomes  self-sufficient,  whenever  he  begins 
to  admire  what  God  hates,  and  to  slight  what  he  com- 
mands, he  is  an  offender  in  Baal.  But  however  apos- 
tates ought  to  tremble,  let  the  backslider  return,  and 
lay  hold  of  and  embrace  the  provision  God  himself  has 
made  for  such.  See  Jeremiah,  chapters  ii.  and  iii. 
To  a  false  character,  there  is  no  promise. 

From  what  has  been  said,  let  us  endeavor  to  correct 
a  false  taste :  which  says,  "  Let  us  be  as  gods  ;"  let  us 
improve  our  condition  :  "  Let  us  build  a  tower,  and 
make  us  a  name  in  the  earth !"  God  will  come  and 
write  "  Babel,"  /.  e.  confusion,  on  the  attempt.  The 
Church  of  Rome  has  thus  offended  ;  and  i^  it  not  a 
monument  to  this  day  ?  But  let  us  bring  the  matter 
nearer  home,  and  come  to  our  own  spirit.  It  should 
be  our  utmost  care  to  watch  against  any  plausible  ar- 
guments for  Baal.  There  is  a  thief  in  the  house  of 
that  man  who  reposes  himself  in  the  lap  of  carnal  se- 
curity. 

I  tremble  for  our  national  safety  when  I  hear  people 
proudly  placing  their  confidence  in  fleets  and  armies.* 
The  presumptuous,  stout-hearted,  self-confident  boaster, 
shall  be  arrested  at  last.  However  we  flatter  our- 
selves, and  varnish  over  pride,  which  God  hates,  our 
sin  will  surely  find  us  out.  "  A  haughty  spirit  goes  be- 
fore a  fall."     If  we  are  in  the  spirit  of  pride  we  are 

*  This  sermon  was  preached  in  the  year  1806,  at  which  time  Great 
Britain  was  engaged,  with  several  other  nations  of  Europe,  in  a  war 
against  France. — Ed. 


432  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

growing  poor.    All  of  us  are  more  or  less  infected  with 
this  sin. 

We  should  consider  the  warnings  of  God  to  his 
Church,  which  are  given  in  Scripture,  as  the  calls  of 
mercy,  and  the  gracious  counsels  of  Jesus,  our  Master, 
to  his  disciples.  The  Prophet  Hosea  abounds  with 
striking  descriptions  of  the  symptoms  of  spiritual  de- 
clension. He  shows  us  in  what  a  variety  of  wavs  the 
heart  may  be  turned  aside,  and  decoyed  from  God. 
It  is  like  the  physician  stating  the  symptoms  to  his  pa- 
tient, showing  him  where  his  danger  lies  ;  and  who 
would  bring  about  a  cure,  even  at  the  cost  of  much 
pain. 

It  is  a  certain  truth,  that  our  idol,  while  it  cannot 
save  us,  will  sink  us.  We  shall  be  impoverished  by  it. 
It  will  make  us  weak,  like  Samson ;  and  though,  like 
him,  we  may  think  to  shake  ourselves  "  as  at  other 
times" — to  pray  as  before,  and  act  as  in  better  times — 
yet  we  shall  find  that  our  strength  is  departed ;  and  if 
we  use  the  same  words,  we  shall  have  lost  the  power 
and  unction  of  them.  Let  us  watch  against  the  paths 
of  the  destroyer,  which  sometimes  look  very  pleasing 
to  the  eye ;  and  the  world  may  call  them  highly  re- 
spectable. 

Finally,  learn  that  holy  maxim,  "  When  I  am  weak, 
then  am  I  strong."  A  Christian  is  to  rise,  not  as  the 
oak,  but  as  the  ivy  that  winds  round  the  oak  ;  sensible 
that  he  is  feeble  and  weak,  and  that  his  strength  is  in 
another.  If  the  Christian  is  fruitful  as  the  vine,  he  is 
yet  tender  and  weak  as  the  vine,  and  needs  support. 
The  Lord  acts  towards  his  children  as  a  tender  Father, 
bidding  them  beware  of  the  flatterer.  It  is  the  Chris- 
tian's wisdom,  and  privilege,  to  walk  through  his  jour- 
ney as  a  little  child  travels  over  a  rough  path,  clinging 
to  the  arm  of  its  parent.     He  will  pray  that  he  ma} 


SPIRITUAL    REVIVAL.  433 

not  stumble,  either  in  his  practice  or  profession.  "  When 
Ephraim  spake  trembling  he  was  exalted :"  he  was,  at 
that  time,  too  strong  for  earth  and  hell.  So,  he  that 
in  renunciation  of  his  own  strength,  has  learnt  to  de- 
pend on  Jesus  Christ,  shall  be  too  strong  for  his  ene- 
mies. 

"  A  feeble  saint  shall  win  the  day, 
Though  earth  and  hell  obstruct  the  way." 


».  X,  •^^'^/>w."^/^-/^-^^.  > 


SPIRITUAL  REVIVAL 

Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again,  that  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee  1 

Ps.  Ixxxv.  6.  [1794.] 

It  is  supposed  that  this  psalm  was  written  on  account 
of  some  calamitous  dispensation,  some  token  of  God's 
displeasure.  The  public  interest  lay  near  the  Psalm- 
ist's heart,  and  his  plea  for  present  deliverance  is  based 
upon  former  favors  shown  to  God's  Israel.  The  dis- 
pensation under  which  we  live,  may  lead  us  to  apply 
the  subject  as  it  regards  spiritual  revivals,  under  sea- 
sons of  spiritual  decay ;  and,  with  this  view,  I  would 
lay  down  the  following  proposition,  namely, 

That  a  spiritual  revival  will  be  the  object  and 

PRAYER  OF  EVERY  RENEWED  MAn's  HEART,  UNDER  A  SENSE 
OF  A  SPIRITUAL  DECAY. 

A  true  Christian,  under  a  sense  of  spiritual  decay, 
will  not  be  turning  to  the  creature  for  happiness,  any 
more  than  to  the  chariot  and  horse  for  safety.  He  has 
known  the  value  of  spiritual  health,  laments  the  loss  of 
it,  and  prays,  "  Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again  ?"  A 
man  may  be  sincere  in  his  profession,  and  yet  there 

19 


434  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

may  be  a  decay :  the  holy  fire  may  be  almost  extin- 
guished ;  and  in  such  a  case  we  are  directed  where  to 
look  for  the  re-kindling  of  it.  "All  my  fresh  springs 
are  in  thee."  Look  at  the  state  of  a  plant,  in  a  garden, 
not  duly  watered  ;  drooping,  and  languishing !  This 
may  remind  us  of  our  own  resource.  "  I  will,"  says 
God,  "  pour  water  on  him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods 
upon  the  dry  ground  ;"  and  this  water  is  conveyed 
through  the  golden  pipes  of  the  ordinances ;  and,  fre- 
quently, through  affliction  and  trouble.  God  sends 
this  gracious  encom-agement  to  his  returning  people  : 
"  I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel  ....  They  shall 
revive  as  the  corn,  and  grow  as  the  vine." 

It  is  easy  to  put  on  the  appearance  of  religion,  it  is 
easy  to  set  up  family  worship,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
doctrines  ;  but  the  heart  and  core  of  religion,  which  is 
the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man,  may,  after  all,  be 
■wanting.  To  w^alk  with  God,  like  Enoch,  is  something 
more.  The  text  seems  to  express  some  such  request 
as  this ;  May  we  not  again  taste  of  the  well-spring  of 
life  ?  The  fifteenth  chapter  of  St.  John,  directs  us 
what  to  pray  for :  "  I  am  the  Vine,"  says  our  Lord, 
*'  and  ye  are  the  branches.  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you. 
As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it 
abide  in  the  vine  ;  no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in 
me."  Again,  when  Jesus  appeared  to  his  disciples  after 
his  resurrection,  it  is  said,  "  He  breathed  on  them,  and 
saith  unto  them.  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  So  we 
see,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  immediate  agent  of  spiritual 
life.  The  Prophet  Ezekiel  was  asked,  "  Can  these  dry 
bones  live  ?"  and  he  replied,  "  O  Lord  God,  thou  know- 
est :"  q.  d.  Thou  art  the  great  Agent  of  all  life  ! 

But  it  may  be  asked,  How  is  the  Christian  made  to 
revive  and  grow  ?  If  we  were  to  examine  the  means, 
we  might   show  largely  how  God  alarms,  awakens, 


SPIRITUAL    REVIVAL.  435 

rouses.  But  whatever  means  it  pleases  him  to  make 
use  of,  they  are  only  the  channel  by  which  the  water 
is  conveyed  ;  wherever  this  is  done,  there  will  be  mo- 
tion :  if  there  is  life  in  the  soul,  there  will  be  a  holy 
wrestling  with  God.  The  language  of  such  a  heart  will 
be,  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."  I  dare 
not  let  thee  go  !  If  I  can  do  nothing  but  mourn,  I  will 
mourn  till  thou  comfort  me.  There  will  be  also  fear 
of  sin,  and  indignation  against  it :  St.  Paul  says  to  the 
Corinthians,  "  Behold  this  self-same  thing,  that  ye  sor- 
rowed after  a  godly  sort,  what  carefulness  it  wrought 
in  you,  yea,  what  clearing  of  yourselves,  yea,  what  in- 
dignation, yea,  what  fear."  There  is  a  continual  pro- 
pensity in  us  to  turn  away  from  God.  When  there 
begins  to  be  a  revival,  there  will  be  a  turning  to  God : 
then  a  man  begins  to  find  out  idols  he  did  not  before 
observe,  and  sees  what  it  is  that  steals  his  affections 
from  God.  Some  sav,  "  What  harm  is  there  in  this 
and  that  ?"  If  there  is  not  any  other  harm  than  this, 
that  it  indisposes  you  to  the  means  of  grace,  and  that 
it  separates  from  God,  and  that  it  leaves  the  heart  dry 
and  dead, — there  is  harm  enough.  People  in  general 
are  apt  to  affix  gross  ideas  to  idolatry.  If  a  man  goes 
to  China,  he  is  astonished  at  the  horrid  and  absurd 
things  that  are  the  object  of  their  worship  :  he  is  not 
aware  that  his  own  idol  is  his  cargo.  But  when  God 
speaks  to  the  heart  and  conscience,  he  must  be  heard : 
and  he  says  to  the  merchant,  to  the  miser,  to  the  man 
of  pleasure,  and  of  business  too,  You  are  turning  from 
the  fountain  of  liviog  waters  to  broken  cisterns,  that 
can  hold  no  water.  * 

If  the  Christian,  under  decays,  is  led  to  offer  the 
prayer  in  the  text,  and  if  God  hears  his  prayer,  it  may 
be  expected  that  one  of  his  first  strokes  will  be  at  the 
idol  upon  which  his  heart  is  set,  to  get  rid  of  that :  God 


436  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

will  thus  withdraw  the  deadly  influence  which  cause? 
him  to  wither,  and  lead  him  to  say,  "  What  have  I  any 
more  to  do  with  idols  ?"  A  true  revival  is  a  Divine 
operation,  and  will  produce  true  fruit.  There  will  be 
a  heavenly  taste — a  hungering  and  thirsting  after 
righteousness. 

Another  sign  of  a  revival  of  religion  in  the  heart,  is 
when,  like  Abraham,  we  not  only  follow  God  ourselves, 
but  endeavor  to  command  our  household  after  us ; 
when,  like  David,  we  are  earnestly  desirous  to  walk 
before  them  with  a  perfect  heart.  There  will  be  a 
beneficial  effect  on  society  in  the  soul  that  is  truly 
renewed :  there  will  be  no  more  need  to  explain  that 
it  is  revived,  than  to  say  that  a  tree  is  laden  with  fruit : 
it  will  be  seen  and  expressed  in  a  thousand  ways.  For 
a  man  to  talk  of  a  revival  because  he  has  had  some 
sudden  impression,  some  extraordinary  vision,  who  yet 
does  not  evince  it  by  his  life  and  conversation,  is  to 
prove  himself  deceived.  The  ground  on  which  the 
Psalmist  urges  this  revival  is  in  order  to  obtain. the  end 
of  all  spiritual  life,  true  joy  and  peace  :  "  Wilt  thou  not 
revive  us  again,  that  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee  ?" 

It  is  a  matter  of  experience,  that  when  idolatry, 
unbelief,  or  sin  of  any  kind,  enters  the  soul,  we  find 
our  hearts  sink,  and  sensible  objects  soon  draw  off  the 
mind  from  God  ;  spiritual  objects  become  strange  and 
irksome  ;  we  try  to  feed  upon  husks,  as  we  formerly 
did  upon  the  bread  of  life  :  but  if  Christ  has  designs 
of  mercy,  if  he  seeks  his  lost  sheep,  our  cry  will  be, 
"  Oh  that  it  were  with  me  as  heretofore  !  Oh  that 
thou  wouldst  revive  me  again  !"  The  restless,  com- 
fortless state  of  a  backslider  may  distinguish  him  from 
an  apostate.  Joy  is  not  essential  to  the  existence  of 
Christianity  :  a  man  may  be  united  to  Christ,  and  yet, 
through  declension,  infirmity;  or  heavy  crosses,  he  may 


SPIRITUAL    REVIVAL.  437 

hang  down  his  head  like  a  bulrush.  It  was  a  sad  sign 
that  something  was  the  matter  when  the  Lord  came 
down  to  Adam,  and  called  to  him  and  said,  "  Adam ! 
were  art  thou  ?  And  he  said,  I  heard  thy  voice  in  the 
garden,  and  I  was  afraid."  Guilt  had  defiled  his  mind, 
and  he  became  afraid  of  his  best  friend.  If  a  man 
would  have  the  flower  of  religion,  which  is  spiritual  joy, 
he  must  pray  for  the  invigorating  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Else  every  thing  withers  in  our  hands, 
like  the  cropped  flower.  The  branch  cut  off*  from 
Christ  will  wither  under  any  ministry,  or  under  any 
ordinances  :  no  book,  no  ministry  will  be  of  use,  without 
"  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One."  But  where  there  is 
a  vital  principle  implanted  in  the  heart,  it  will  maintain 
a  continual  struggle  against  spiritual  decays.  Dr. 
Owen  remarks,  that  "  sometimes  this  struggle  seems  to 
exhaust  all  the  grace  a  man  possesses  ;  so  that,  for  the 
time,  he  can  make  no  attainment  or  progress  in  spirit- 
ual things."  Such  a  secret  struggle  is  a  more  noble 
sight,  before  God  and  angles,  than  all  that  has  ever 
been  celebrated  before  men.  The  language  of  grace 
is,  "  My  soul  foUoweth  hard  after  thee."  The  unbeliev- 
ing king  might  say,  "  What  should  I  wait  for  the  Lord 
any  longer  ?"  2  Kings  vi.  33  ;  but  grace  teaches  a  man 
to  say,  I  must  wait.  This  is  one  peculiarity  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

Every  season  has  its  duty  :  a  man  must  not  say. 
Because  my  mind  is  dead  and  dry,  I  must  wait  till  I 
can  pray  with  more  fervor.  The  winter  season  has 
its  work.  A  Christain  should  learn  the  necessity  of 
abounding  in  duty,  as  well  as  of  desiring  holy  comfort. 
Like  Habakkuk,  he  should  say,  "  I  will  stand  upon  my 
watch,  and  set  me  upon  the  tower :  and  will  watch 
to  see  what  he  will  say  unto  me,  and  what  I  shall  an- 
swer when  I  am  reproved. '"     In  dry  seasons  we  should 


438  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

pray  for  spiritual  showers.  In  a  time  of  temporal 
drought,  do  we  not  pray  for  rain  ? — and  is  the  water 
that  comes  upon  the  earth  more  worthy  to  be  prayed 
for,  than  the  heavenly  dew — the  Holy  Spirit's  influ- 
ences ?  Satan  will  tell  us,  there  is  no  danger  of  perish- 
ing for  want  of  rain :  that  if  we  hold  the  truth,  there 
is  no  danger  of  decay.  But  what  will  the  form  of 
godliness  do  without  the  power  ?  Satan  is  always  cry- 
ing, *'  peace,"  by  a  dead  profession  and  by  a  dead  min- 
istry. Let  us,  therefore,  plead  with  God  for  reviving 
grace  ;  and  let  us  remember  that  the  ordinances  we 
have  had  to-day  will  not  serve  for  to-morrow :  we 
must  have  fresh  supplies  of  the  living  Bread,  or  our 
souls  will  assuredly  droop  and  wither. 

While  we  pray  for  a  spiritual  revival,  we  should  ex- 
amine the  causes  of  decay.  What  was  the  cause  of 
Israel's  fall  before  the  men  of  Ai  ?  A  wedge  of  gold, 
and  a  Babylonish  garment !  Something  may  lie  in 
the  way  of  spiritual  revival  and  deliverance.  If,  like 
Achan,  we  have  secreted  "  the  accursed  thing,"  it  must 
be  searched  out.  Let  us  search  the  camp,  and  see  if 
there  is  not  something  the  matter.  Say,  with  Job, 
"Show  me  wherefore  thou  contendest  with  me,"  why 
things  go  back  with  me.  If  I  have  not  grace  to  pluck 
out  a  right  eye,  Lord,  pluck  it  out  for  me.  A  man  may 
be  mixing  up  the  world  and  religion  together,  as  though 
one  with  a  decayed  constitution  should  expect  to  be 
recovered  by  taking,  alternately,  medicine  and  poison  ! 
We  should  be  honest  to  ourselves,  and  willing  to  abide 
the  means  of  cure  :  the  medicine  may  be  bitter,  but 
our  language  should  be,  At  any  rate — whatever  it  costs 
— let  me  be  restored. 

While  acknowledging  our  deadness,  and  seeking  a 
revival,  we  should  pray  with  expectation  and  lively 
hope,  cherishing  honorable  thoughts  of  ^God,  and  be- 


SPIRITUAL    REVIVAL.  439 

lieving  that  he  will  certainly  fulfil  his  promise.  "  1 
will  hear,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  what  God  the  Lord 
will  say,  for  he  will  speak  peace  to  his  people  and  to 
his  saints."  See  also  what  he  says  in  Psalm  Ixviii. : 
*'  Thou,  O  God,  didst  send  a  plentiful  rain,  whereby  thou 
didst  confirm  thine  inheritance  when  it  was  weary." 

The  course  of  nature  is  the  incessant  administration 
of  the  Divine  providence.  So  also  in  spiritual  things, 
nothing  but  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost  can  re- 
vive, and  restore,  and  give  vigor  to  the  principles  of 
grace  in  the  heart.  Let  us,  then,  seek  these  influences 
by  believing,  humble,  persevering  prayer.  Oh,  that 
we  had  faith  to  behold  Christ  standing  with  the  keys 
of  death  and  hell,  ready  not  only  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
waterfioods  of  sin  and  wickedness,  but  also  to  ''  revive 
the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones." 

"  That  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee."  When  the 
Christian  prays  to  be  revived,  it  is  not  in  order  that  he 
may  make  a  flaming  profession  of  religion,  and  merely 
talk  about  its  doctrines  :  no,  it  is  that  he  may  better 
serve  and  glorify  God,  who,  in  answer  to  his  prayer, 
has  revived  him  again.  He  seeks  for  joy,  as  a  "  fruit 
of  the  Spirit."  He  that  says,  religion  is  a  dull  and 
gloomy  thing,  is  a  stranger  to  it ;  for  it  is  a  scheme  of 
unbounded  joy  and  happiness.  There  is  a  defect  in  all 
other  joy,  in  that  it  has  an  end  :  but  the  Christian's  joy 
shall  be  heightening  to  all  eternity. 


440  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 


HOLY  JOY. 

And  ye  now  therefore  have  sorrow ;  but  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your 
heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you. — John 
xvi.  22.  [1806.] 

A  Christian  is  the  child  of  sorrow — the  pupil  of 
hope — and  the  heir  of  a  heavenly  kingdom.  "  These 
things,"  said  Christ,  "  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that 
my  joy  might  remain  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might 
be  full."  It  is  possible  to  disturb  a  believer's  quiet, 
when  you  cannot  interrupt  his  peace  and  joy,  which 
arise  from  the  soul^s  resting  on  the  favor  of  God  through 
Jesus  Christ.  The  love  of  Christ  in  the  heart  is  a  sat- 
isfying treasure.  It  was  the  glory  of  the  primitive 
ages,  that  though  the  world  could  torment  Christians, 
it  could  not  rob  them  of  their  joy.  A  believer  has  a 
prospect  opened  into  eternity.  "  Your  joy  no  man 
taketh  from  you."     I  shall  endeavor  to  set  before  you, 

I.  The  origin  and  properties  of  this  joy. 
II.  The  possessors  of  this  joy. 

I.  The  origin  of  this  joy.  This  Divine  joy  is 
planted  in  the  soul  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  therefore 
an  inward  and  spiritual  joy.  It  is  deep  rooted  in  the 
heart.  It  is  solid  and  well  founded :  it  is  abiding  and 
lasting  :  it  is  a  satisfying  joy,  and  purifying  in  its  ef- 
fects. It  is  a  joy  that  flourishes  most  in  adversity  : 
it  is  a  communicative  joy.  A  man  has  not  tasted  what 
religion  is,  if  he  does  not  seek  to  impart  this  joy  to 
others.  It  is  the  joy  of  communion  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  humble  joy,  but  it 
causes  a  man  to  triumph  in  Christ.  Though  this  joy 
may  be  interrupted,  yet  the  source  and  matter  of  it  re- 
main unchanged.     Just  as  in  nature,  clouds  may  some- 


HOLY    JOY.  441 

times,  for  many  days,  interrupt  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
but  the  order  of  creation  continues  the  same.  The 
sun  still  remains  ;  and,  when  the  clouds  disperse,  it 
will  again  appear  in  its  splendor,  and  diffuse  cheerful- 
ness all  around.  So  it  is  with  the  joy  of  a  Christian. 
"  In  the  world,"  says  our  Saviour,  "  ye  shall  have  trib- 
ulation." You  will  be  weary  ;  your  hearts  may  be 
often  distressed  ;  but  "  these  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you  that  in  me  ye  might  have  peace."  I  have  finished 
transgression,  and  made  an  end  of  sin.  I  have  opened 
the  prison  doors  to  let  the  captive  go  free.  "  Be  of  good 
cheer;  I  have  overcome  the  world."  The  Christian 
finds  a  cordial  in  every  sorrow,  from  the  covenant  of 
grace,  and  from  the  comfort  which  Christ  ever  affords 
his  believing  people.  It  is  the  privilege  of  the  true  be- 
liever to  retire  from  the  trials  and  temptations  of  the 
world  to  the  peace  of  Christ.  He  has  always  a  warrant 
to  do  so.  He  is  a  legatee  of  Christ's  bequest,  "  My 
peace  I  give  unto  you :"  "  My  peace,"  i.  e.,  that  peace 
I  possess  myself  I  give  the  warrant,  the  grant ;  and 
I  work  it  by  my  Spirit.  Is  there  anything  except  what 
the  Gospel  offers  that  will  sustain  in  every  distress  to 
which  mankind  is  liable  ?     Matt.  vii.  24 — 27. 

The  joy  of  the  world  differs  entirely  from  the  Chris- 
tian's joy.  It  is  turbulent,  fastidious,  licentious,  intem- 
perate, and  evanescent.  It  leaves  a  man  poor  and 
wretched.  The  voluptuary  is  the  most  miserable 
creature  upon  the  earth.  The  plan  of  the  worldling  is 
momentary :  misfortune  and  death  put  an  end  to  his 
joy,  and  it  is  well  if  death  is  not  anticipated  by  suicide. 
But  when  Christ  affords  us  any  grace  or  gift,  it  is  both 
a  present  good  and  an  earnest  of  future.  Let  us  in- 
quire, 

II.  Who  are  the  possessors  of  Christian  joy. 

One  of  the  greatest  mistakes  a  minister  can  com- 


442  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

mit  is  to  address  his  congregation  indiscriminately,  as 
though  all  its  members  were  partakers  of  this  joy. 
Shall  it  not  be  ill  with  the  wicked  ?  Their  joy,  vain 
as  it  is  while  it  lasts,  shall  soon  expire.  "  The  lamp  of 
the  wicked  shall  be  put  out."  Prov.  xiii.  9.  The  Gos- 
pel, indeed,  as  being  a  message  of  invitation,  is  sent  to 
all  men  as  sinners  ;  and  a  congregation  may  be  col- 
lectively addressed  under  that  general  character.  But 
for  a  minister  to  address  his  hearers  as  though  they 
were  all  spiritual  persons,  when  he  knows  the  fact  to 
be  far  otherwise,  is  to  frustrate  the  design  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  to  delude  men  to  their  eternal  ruin.  The 
most  useful  part  of  a  discourse  is  the  application.  But 
how  is  it  possible  to  apply  the  subject  to  the  conscience, 
unless  the  different  characters  of  men  are  faithfully 
delineated,  and  the  real  believer  carefully  discriminated 
from  all  the  classes  of  merely  nominal  Christians  ? 

The  Christian's  joy  is  the  joy  of  a  sinner's  deliver- 
ance. The  man  who  opposes  the  truths  of  the  Gospel 
has  no  more  right  to  it  than  one  who  opposes  a  con- 
queror has  to  be  benefited  by  his  successes.  It  is  they 
only  whose  hearts  are  towards  God  who  are  warranted 
to  rejoice.  "  Let  the  heart  of  them  rejoice  that  seek 
the  Lord."  Psalm  cv.  3.  It  is  not  here  said.  Let  the 
heart  of  them  rejoice  Who  have  found  him  :  nor  is  the 
privilege  limited  to  such  as  have  full  assurance.  The 
man  who  sincerely  and  honestly  seeks  the  Lord  in  his 
appointed  way,  has  ground  for  this  joy..    Mark  v.  28. 

No  man  can  have  this  joy  who  is  not  engrafted  into 
Christ  the  true  Vine.  The  fruit  of  this  union  is  "  love, 
joy,  peace."  "  If  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
he  is  none  of  his."  God's  remedy  is  his  sending  his 
Son  and  his  Spirit.  In  any  Church  where  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel  have  become  perverted,  and  the  Spirit's 
teaching  is  despised,  the  only  Saviour  will  be  rejected, 


HOLY    JOY.  443 

and  there  is  left  no  foundation  for  joy.  A  Christian's 
joy  is  the  result  of  a  discovery  :  when  a  man  has  found 
the  pearl  of  great  price,  "  he  rejoiceth."  When  the 
Lord  God,  who  knows  the  human  heart,  would  speak 
comfort  to  it,  he  proposes  one  object,  and  one  only,  as 
the  all-sufficient  source  of  qonsolation  :  this  is  the  Mes- 
siah.    Zech.  iii.  8. 

The  rich  are  apt  to  consign  the  Gospel  to  the  poor, 
because  they  want  comfort.  But  I  will  ask  the  rich 
man,  did  you  never  feel  the  heart-ache  ?  Have  you 
not  at  times  felt  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  poor 
man  so  wretched  as  yourself?  It  is  enough  to  drive  a 
rich  man  (if  he  be  a  thinking  man)  into  absolute  de- 
spair, to  know  that  he  must  soon  be  torn  away  from 
all  his  fine  things. 

In  this  world  the  Christian's  joy  is  but  like  a  winter's 
sunbeam.  Though  he  here  sees  the  face  of  God  by 
faith,  it  is  but  "  through  a  glass  darkly."  But  hereafter 
he  shall  have  a  clear  vision,  an  uninterrupted  enjoy- 
ment. "They  shall  see  his  face,  and  his  name  shall  be 
in  their  foreheads."  There  will  be  a  conformity  and 
likeness  to  his  character.  "  When  I  awake  up  after 
thv  likeness,''  savs  David,  "  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  it." 

Did  the  world,  with  all  its  attractions,  ever  propose 
anything  like  this  ?  Creatures  will  sometimes  win  our 
affections  ;  but  what  are  creatures,  even  the  best  of 
them  ?  What  are  the  finest  strains  of  the  finest  music  ? 
they  may  be  disturbed  in  a  moment.  What  are  the 
kindest  offices  of  friends  compared  to  the  friendship, 
the  condescending  and  tender  affection,  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  ?  What  may  we  not  hope  for  from  such  a 
friend  ?  what  security  in  such  love  ?  Here  is  a  true 
source  whence  joy  may  spring  ! 

What  Christ  has  encouraged  his  Church  to  expect, 
his  Church  should  look  to  receive.     It  is  true  our  faith 


444  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

can  bring  no  merit,  but  it  can  bring  a  strong  plea : 
"  Remember  thy  word  unto  thy  servant,  upon  which 
thou  hast  caused  me  to  hope."  Let  the  Christian  rest 
in  this  joy :  let  him  take  hold  of  the  hand  of  this  Al- 
mighty Saviour. — Pilgrim,  go  thy  way  ; 

"  The  world  is  all  before  thee,  where  to  choose 
Thy  place  of  rest,  and  Providence  thy  guide." 

Go  thy  way,  but  let  thine  eye  be  fixed  on  Christ :  go  thy 
way,  leaning  on  the  Beloved.  Fear  not :  for  *'  who 
shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?"  Rom.  viii. 
35 — 39.  A  weary  traveller  knows  what  it  is  to  rest 
upon  his  staff;  but  a  Christian  is  called  to  lean  on  no 
staff,  but  upon  God,  the  Rock  of  Ages. 

Watch  against  those  things  which  you  know,  from 
experience,  have  a  tendency  to  disturb  your  peace  and 
joy.  You  know  better  than  I  can  tell  you  what  these 
are.  Ask  your  own  consciences.  You  know  what  is 
carnal  compliance,  the  following  the  world  close  at  its 
heels.  You  know  what  are  the  sinful  indulgences 
which  poison  your  comforts  at  the  very  core.  Watch 
against  vain  speculations :  such  things  unavoidably 
disturb. 

Finally,  take  every  means  to  demonstrate  that  you 
have  such  a  peace  and  joy ;  that  you  have  such  a 
rest.  In  proportion  as  a  man  loves  gold,  he  hates 
counterfeits.  Manifest  the  reality  of  your  joy.  A 
believer  should  never  be  sad  :  we  should  encounter 
trouble  by  often  looking  to  the  consolation  which  Christ 
has  left.  "  They  that  say  such  things  declare  plainly 
that  they  seek  a  country."  Heb.  xi.  14. 


HOLY    JOY    WITHDRAWN.  445 


HOLY  JOY  WITHDRAWN. 

Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation. — Psalm  li,  12,         [1801.]. 

People  are  apt  to  look  at  the  crime  of  David,  and 
there  stop  ;  but  they  do  not  mark  what  it  brought  upon 

him He  that  will  meddle  with  sin,  and  go  into 

the  way  of  temptation,  will  fall  by  it.  Sin  will  weaken 
the  soul.  When  any  one  falls  from  God  by  the  com- 
mission of  some  evil,  he  may  perhaps  hope  to  pass  it 
over,  and  go  on  in  his  profession  in  the  same  way  as 
he  did  before  :  but  he  will  not  be  the  same  man  :  he 
will  be  like  Samson  shorn  of  his  strength.  See  Judges 
xvi.  There  is  nothing  that  Satan  more  labors  at  than 
to  make  a  separation  between  God  and  the  soul :  he 
cares  not  by  what  means  it  is  effected,  so  that  it  is 
effected.  Holy  joy  is  the  death  of  sin.  I  propose  to 
make  some  remarks  upon  this  passage ;  and  I  observe, 

I.  There  is  a  state  of  satisfaction  or  spiritual 

JOY  W^HICH  BELONGS  TO  A  STATE  OF  SALVATION. 

H.  The  exercise  of  this  joy  may  be  lost  by  sin. 
HI.  It  is  God  alone  who  can  restore  this  joy  of 
salvation. 

IV.  A  true  believer  can  have  no  rest  till  it  is 

RESTORED. 

I.  There  is  a  joy  peculiar  to  a  state  of  salva- 
tion. I  say  peculiar  :  consider  the  joy  of  a  man  just 
escaped  from  a  shipwreck,  from  a  fire,  or  from  the 
hands  of  a  murderer  ;  yet  this  joy  is  only  for  a  moment, 
because  life  is  but  a  moment.  When  a  man  has  found 
the  pardon  of  sin,  he  has  a  joy  which  will  last  to  eter- 
nity ;  it  is  substantial  :  holy  joy  is  well  founded  :  it  is 
implanted  by  the   Holy   Spirit;  it  is  purifying  in  its 


446-  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

nature.  It  is  founded  on  the  good  pleasure  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus ;  on  his  gracious  disposition  to  enter  into 
friendship  with  a  fallen  creature,  and  to  lay  a  solid 
foundation  for  his  joy.  "Other  foundation  can  no  man 
lay  :"  he  may  build  on  this  foundation  "  wood,  hay,  and 
stubble  ;"  or  "  gold,  silver,  precious  stones  :"  but  if  he 
stands  on  the  Foundation,  it  will  bear  him  up :  it  will 
be  a  ground  of  joy  from  the  deliverance  it  brings.  It 
is  a  joy  of  expectation  :  "  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 
What  a  ground  of  joy  is  this,  for  a  sinner  that  has  no 
reason  to  expect  anything  but  banishment !  to  know 
that  there  is  a  scheme  of  deliverance,  pardon  and 
peace  :  to  know  that  God  has  ratified  it — has  declared 
he  will  hold  communion  with  his  redeemed  people — and 
take  them,  at  last,  where  he  will  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes !  Compare  this  to  the  lying,  deceitful 
joys  of  this  world  ;  and  you  will  have  some  conception 
of  its  value.  Most  of  the  joys  of  this  world  have  some- 
thing in  them  like  "  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a 
pot :"  it  is  a  blaze  for  a  moment :  I  know  of  none  of 
these  that  will  bear  turning  round  and  round :  they 
will  not  bear  examining.  As  I  am  enabled  by  faith  to 
build  upon  the  invincible  realities  of  God's  word,  I  have 
a  calm,  purifying,  holy  joy.  The  joys  of  this  world  are 
turbulent,  licentious :  they  always  leave  their  votary 
poor ;  he  is  so  forlorn  after  all  has  expired !  Nor  will 
anything  fill  the  heart  till  it  approach  and  possess  this 
joy.  It  is  called  the  kingdom  of  God  set  up  in  the 
heart  in  "  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost."  It  is  a  joy  which  flourishes  most  in  a 
broken  heart.  It  is  an  assimilating  grace  ;  it  renders 
a  man  God-like.  It  is  communicative  :  as  to  the  things 
of  the  world,  a  man  loves  to  have  them  to  himself: 
but,  let  him  taste  this,  and  he  desires  that  others  should 
partake  it  with  him.  ^ 


HOLY    JOY    WITHDRAWN.  447 

"  You  are  an  enthusiast,"  says  one  ;  "  for  you  rejoice 
in  things  invisible;  "  and,  pray,  what  are  your  visible 
things  which  afford  satisfaction  ?  It  is  only  that  which 
is  invisible  which  is  lasting.  The  Christian  may  now, 
if  need  be,  have  heaviness  ;  but  he  has  a  ground  of  joy 
which  is  permanent :  Christ  says,  "  Your  joy  no  man 
taketh  from  you  :"  he  may  take  your  goods — yea,  even 
your  life ;  but  not  your  joy. 

II.  The  exercise  of  this  joy  may  be  lost  by  sin. 

God  has  connected  things  together  :  if  a  man  talk  of 
communion  with  God,  and  walk  on  in  sin,  he  deceives 
himself:  for  sin  must  bring  clouds  on  the  mind  of  the 
strongest  Christian.  I  exceedingly  object  to  hear  a 
man  talking  of  enjoying  the  light  of  God's  countenance 
while  he  is  partaking  of  any  unlawful  thing.  For 
what  is  this  joy  of  salvation,  but  sap  from  the  tree  of 
life  arising  in  the  soul  ?  It  is  a  ray  of  Divine  light ! 
What  says  the  Apostle  ?  '"  If  we  say  that  we  have  fel- 
lowship with  him,  and  walk  in  darkness,  we  lie,  and  do 
not  the  truth."  The  joy,  therefore,  of  the  strongest 
Christian  may  be  interrupted,  suspended,  by  sin.  I  do 
not  say,  that  it  is  lost  by  a  single  assault  of  Satan — by 
a  temptation:  but  if  it  be  in  any  measure  yielded  to,  if 
sin  has  been  committed,  the  soul  suffers  :  it  becomes  in 
an  unhealthy  state.  Leaning  on  past  experiences  will 
not  do :  the  disease  must  be  cured ;  but  there  is  often 
so  much  pain  in  a  sound  cure,  that  it  is  no  wonder 
people  wish  the  disease  to  be  treated  lightly.  There  is 
no  sound  cure  for  the  wounded  conscience  but  un- 
feigned repentance  and  humiliation,  and  making  fresh 
application  "  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling."  There  is  a 
sort  of  spiritual  quackery  that  will  propose  an  easier 
way;  that  will  allow  a  man  to  repent  and  sin,  and 
sin  and  repent,  perpetually :  but  it  will  end  in  ruin. 


448  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

"  What  shall  we  say  then  ?  Shall  we  continue  in  sin, 
that  grace  may  abound  ?  God  forbid.  How  shall  we, 
that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein  ?"  Romans 
vi.  1.  David  not  only  prays,  "  Restore  unto  me  the  joy 
of  thy  salvation,"  but  he  says,  "  Create  in  me  a  clean 
heart,  O  God ;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me." 
Which  leads  me  to  consider, 

III.  It  is  God  alone  who  can  restore  this  joy  of 

SALVATION. 

God's  comforts  are  a  free  gift,  as  well  as  a  cordial. 
As  it  is  God  who  first  gives  spiritual  joy,  so  it  is  he  alone 
that  can  restore  it  when  it  has  been  interrupted  by  sin. 
Therefore  David  says,  "  He  restoreth  my  soul  ;"  and  in 
another  psalm,  he  prays,  "  Lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is 
higher  than  I :"  it  is  not  enough  that  I  see  it  before  me 
—that  I  am  told  there  is  safety  on  it — but,  lead  me  to 
it  !  The  joy  of  salvation  is  a  pledge  of  something  great- 
er ;  and  notwithstanding  what  experiences  we  may 
have  had  of  it,  we  shall  find,  that  we  cannot  recall  them  ; 
and  that  no  living  creature  can  help  in  this  case  :  we 
can  only,  like  David,  cry,  '*  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of 
thy  salvation,  O  Lord  !" 

IV.  It  is  the  CHARACTERISTIC  OP  A  TRUE  BELIEVER 
THAT  HE  HAS  NO  REST  TILL  THIS  JOY  IS  RESTORED. 

Like  the  dove  that  went  forth  of  the  ark,  he  will  find 
no  rest  for  the  sole  of  his  foot  while  wandering  from 
God.  It  is,  therefore,  a  dispensation  of  mercy  not  to 
let  a  man  rest  till  he  returns  to  God.  David  could 
comfort  himself  in  God  when  he  was  hunted  like  a 
partridge  upon  the  mountains — when  the  people  talked 
of  stoning  him.  I  had  then,  we  may  suppose  him  to 
say,  one  Friend  and  Comforter:  but  now  I  have  lost 


HOLY    JOY    WITHDRAWN.  449 

him !  and  what  signifies  telling  me  that  I  am  a  king  ? 
Till  He  says,  "  Go  in  peace  ;  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee," 
I  can  have  no  joy  nor  comfort. 

I  think  we  may  understand  this  from  what  we  may 
have  felt  if  we  have  grieved  a  beloved  friend,  and  es- 
pecially if  we  have  been  ungrateful.  Now  David  knew 
well  enough  how  ungrateful  he  had  been  :  and  therefore 
he  prays  that  God  would,  as  an  act  of  Almighty  grace, 
restore  unto  him  the  joy  of  his  salvation  :  I  feel,  he  says, 
what  a  bitter  thing  it  is  to  depart  from  the  living  God : 
I  am  a  poor  forlorn  wretch  while  this  separation  lasts ! 
David  desires  this  restoration  to  God's  favor  from  the 
best  motives,  "  Open  thou  my  lips,  and  my  mouth  shall 
shew  forth  thy  'praise^'  ver.  15. 

Improvement. — Since  a  man  like  David  may  thus 
fall,  let  us  learn  what  a  horrible  deceiver  sin  is.  It  first 
blinds,  and  then  infatuates  and  impoverishes.  I  would 
say  to  backsliders  :  take  care  of  being  prevented  a  re- 
turn by  unbelief.  Are  there  no  promises  ?  no  invita- 
tions ? 

If  any  here  are  not  in  the  state  of  backsliders,  then, 
take  care  that  you  do  not  gineve  the  Holy  Spirit :  the 
joy  of  salvation  is  a  holy,  delicate  deposit.  "  Quench 
not  the  Spirit." 

To  such  as  know  nothing  of  a  state  of  spiritual  deser- 
tion, I  would  say,  Is  not  this  your  unhappiness  ?  A 
beggar  certainly  is  in  no  danger  of  being  robbed :  but 
it  is  because  of  his  poverty.  It  is  a  miserable  thing 
indeed  to  live  without  any  spiritual  intercourse  with 
God.  Have  you  a  son,  and  does  not  that  son  care  at 
all  whether  you  smile  or  frown  ?  Oh  1  say  you,  that 
pierces  me  to  the  heart !  I  have  no  hope !  What, 
then,  must  God  feel  towards  you  ?  What  sort  of  a  son 
are  you  ? 

Some  claim  the  privileges  of  a  Christian,  who  have 


450  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

no  part  or  lot  in  the  matter.  Whatever  rapturous  ex- 
pressions a  man  may  make  use  of,  inquire,  What  is  his 
walk?  If  a  Christian  falls  into  sin,  he  loses  his  joy: 
his  lips  are  closed :  he  feels  himself,  as  it  were,  shut  up 
in  prison,  and  cries,  "  Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison,  that 
I  may  praise  thy  name."  If  a  man  talks  of  joy,  let  him 
ask,  Is  my  rule  the  Scripture  ?  Is  the  Holy  Spirit  my 
guide  ?  Is  Christ  my  way  ?  and  do  I  attend  the  ordi- 
nances as  a  means  of  grace  ?  Can  I  say,  sincerely 
*'  Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart  that  I  should  not 

sin  against  thee  ?" 


PRAYER  FOR  SPIRITUAL  ENLARGEMENT. 

Open  thou  my  lips ;  and  my  mouth  shall  show  forth  thy  praise. 

Psalm  li.  15.  [1801.] 

Our  Church  uses  these  words  in  her  Liturgy.  Ob- 
serve » 

I.  What  is  meant  by  this  request.  It  plainly 
implies  that  guilt  will  shut  the  mouth,  as  it  did  Adam's 
— as  it  did  the  man  without  a  wedding  garment : 
"  Friend,  how  camest  thou  in  hither  ?  and  he  was 
speechless."  It  is  probable  he  could  talk  to  the  guests 
very  freely  about  the  feast :  but  when  the  king  came 
in  to  see  the  guests,  he  was  dumb :  he  deceived  men,  but 
he  seems  to  say,  "  I  find  I  cannot  deceive  God  !"  This 
was  the  case  with  David  when,  upon  a  melancholy  oc- 
casion, this  psalm  was  penned  :  his  lips  had  been  closed 
by  guilt ;  and  therefore  he  here  prays,  "  Open  thou 
my  lips,"  that  I  may  praise  thee  as  I  used  to  do;  let 
me  come  with  holy  boldness  to  "  the  blood  of  sprink- 
ling," as  I  used  to  do.     There  is  no  man  but  knows,  if 


PRAYER    FOR    SPIRITUAL    ENLARGEMENT.  451 

he  comes  to  speak  to  his  friend,  and  finds  his  face  set 
against  him,  what  it  is  to  be  struck  dumb  :  on  the  other 
hand,  if  his  friend  smiles  upon  him,  his  tongue  is  loosed. 
We  inquire, 

II.    How    IS    THIS    TO    BE    OBTAINED  ? 

Liberty  of  heart,  and  liberty  of  speech,  (I  mean  in 
an  honest  man,  for  a  hypocrite  can  talk  at  all  times, 
but  an  honest  man  cannot  talk  of  religion  if  his  con- 
science upbraids  him,)  true  liberty  of  heart  and  speech, 
can  only  proceed  from  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
the  Lord  only  can  again  open  the  mouth  which  has 
been  closed  by  guilt,  by  the  application  of  pardon  to 
the  heart  of  the  sinner,  teaching  him  to  exalt  the  Sa- 
viour, and  then  enlarging  his  heart,  and  implanting  in 
it  a  love  of  holiness,  so  that  the  lips  shall  show  forth  his 
praise.     Mark, 

III.  The  effect  of  the  lips  being  thus  opened. 

If  the  lips  have  been  closed  by  guilt,  as  was  the  case 
with  Zacharias,  Luke  i.  10,  and  with  David,  when  the 
joy  of  God's  salvation  is  restored,  the  mouth  will  soon 
declare  it.     "  Come,  all  ye  that  fear  God,"  says  David, 
"  and  I  will  tell  you  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul  :'* 
"  I  will  run  in  the  way   of  thy  commandments  when 
thou  shalt  enlarge  my  heart."     Then  it  is  like  Spring 
season,  when  the  sun  comes  and  gives  life  to  the  earth. 
It  is  like  a  resurrection  from  the  dead.     However  dead 
and  stupid  a  man  has  been,  not  able  to  speak  a  word 
except  like  a  parrot,  yet,  if  the  Lord  opens  his  mouth, 
you  need  not  tell  him  that  it  is  his  duty  to  praise  God, 
he  cannot  help  it ;  you  need  not  tell  him  that  the  Sab- 
bath should  be  observed,  it  is  his  feast  day :  it   is  the 
same  as  respects  the  sacrament. 

Do  you  find  nothing  like  an  opening  of  your  lips  ? 


452  ORIGINAL    THOUGHTS. 

or  has  guilt  sealed  and  closed  them  ?     Take  care  not 

to  conceal,  much  less  extenuate  your  guilt,  but  bring 

the  matter  to  Christ.     Be  not  afraid  to  put  the   Lord 

Jesus  upon  working  miracles  now,  as  well  as  formerly  : 

come  to  him.     If,  like  David,  you  have  to  mourn  over 

a  wicked,  treacherous  heart,  here  is  an  example  how 

you  should  act.     Instead  of  despairing,  remember,  and 

endeavor  to  enter  into,  what  St.  John  says  :  "  These 

things  write  I  unto  you  that  ye   sin  not :  but  if  any 

man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus 

Christ  the  righteous  :" — he  does  not  lay  the  stress  here  ; 

"  if  any  man  sin,"  there  must  be   sorrow,  and  shame, 

and  in  the  end,  ruin  ! — but,  if  any  man  sin,  "  we  have 

AN  Advocate  :"  let  us,  therefore,  this  day  approach  the 

table  of  the  Lord,  rejoicing  in  God  our  Saviour,  and 

seeking  the    application  of  that  atoning  blood  which 

cleanseth  from  all  sin ;  and  praying  that  he  would  put 

a  new  song  of  praise  into  our  mouths  ;  and  sanctify 

us  to  himself,  as  "a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 

works." 


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4 


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